The Musketeer
2001  PG-13  ACTION  1h 44min
CAST— Catherine Deneuve, Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea, Tim Roth, Justin Chambers, Bill Treacher, Daniel Mesguich, Nick Moran, Steven Speirs, Jan Gregor Kremp
MUSIC— David Arnold  DIRECTOR— Peter Hyams

     Supposedly based on The Three Musketeers, this film bears little resemblance to the Dumas classic. A young D’Artagnan witnesses the murder of his mother and father (himself a former Musketeer) by Cardinal Richelieu’s troops. He vows revenge and after fifteen years of training he finally gets his chance. He travels to Paris to become a bona fide Musketeer but lands in the middle of a conspiracy by Richelieu and his troops to start war between France and various other European countries. Or something. The story isn’t exactly coherent. But no one came for an intriguing political history lesson; they came for action, which is in abundant supply. Come to think of it, there may just be too much action, complete with stylistic swordplay, uncharacteristic spinning and twirling and a general sense of overkill. A handful of action buffs may be entertained but all in all this one is not for all.
OUR RATING— * ½