The Musketeer (2001)

I love this movie so much

the audience applauded

How sad is this?

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

I don't remember much about the actual story line of this film, just that it was terrible. Bad acting, awful editing, and kung fu musketeers? Nope, not working. I think they were trying to cash in on the success of "The Matrix" and other films of that genre that were hot at that time. You're better off blocking this film from your memory. I pretty much have.

There are some wonderful actors in this interpretation of Alexander Dumas' classic novel--Tim Roth, Stephen Rea, Catherine Deneuve--but sadly the star of the film is Justin Chambers, a young man whose acting is so wooden that you can almost see termites gnawing on him during close-ups. The Three Musketeers themselves are a total afterthought, getting little screen time and absolutely zero character set-up or development. They may as well not be in the film at all. As usual, Roth makes a gourmet meal out of store brand ingredients, and Rea and Deneuve do what they can with their undercooked roles.The film's "hook" was that its action sequences were choreographed by Xin-Xin Xiong, a well known Hong Kong stunt man. Unfortunately it's poorly shot, with much of the action taking place in dimly lit rooms and seemingly edited with a Cuisinart. Two of the scenes are moderately entertaining--a duel between d'Artagnan and some thugs at a pub, and then the final duel between he and Roth's Febre using a series of ladders. But even if you can swallow its video gamey quality, it's not enough--not nearly enough--to save this wretched effort.

I doubt I need to explain the plot. It's Three Musketeers, nuff said. However this time, it has action choreographed by Hong Kong master Xin Xin Xiong (martials arts buffs among you may recognize the name).Neat production values and some interesting kung-fu/swashbuckling set pieces, like sword duels on the side of a tower or across ladders, aside, this is a really dull, lackluster version of the classic adventure (at least W.S' mess had some steampunk thrown in, and even Disney gave us the forever badass Michael Wincott and a rather amusing Oliver Platt). OH BOY, OH BOY, where to start? Well, the performances are flat-as- shot-tires all around, with the normally terrific Stephen Rea as a seemingly always monotone Richeleu being especially inexcusable. Mix that with thin characters that aren't engaging or lively in the slightest, and a plot that oversimplifies the story absurdly to focus solely on D'Artagnan, making the other Musketeers almost redundant, as well as even more lifeless (the witty repartee and banter, as well as 'All for One' friendship that almost every other version has? Completely Absent). And as if this cake needed more icing, the utterly generic score from the otherwise talented David Arnold (Stargate, Sherlock) that doesn't do much adrenaline pumping, nor has any real whimsy or levity to it.In the end, this is the text-book definition of 'unnecessary'. The concept of swashbuckling + kung fu should make for, at least, good cheesy fun, but when that is the ONE and ONLY thing your movie has going for it, you have officially failed as a film maker.

All movies must be considered within their context, and The Musketeer is one that would benefit enormously if viewers were to judge this film on its own merits. Given the tradition of wonderful Musketeer inspired films, this one has the best stunts and fight scenes I have ever seen. All of the sword fights are quite good, and some is absolutely brilliant. Furthermore, I challenge anyone to find a modern movie with better horse stunts.The acting in this film is not as bad as some reviewers make it out to be. Justin Chambers (of Grey's Anatomy) is capable in his role, and one would be remiss to simply dismiss either Stephen Rea or Tim Roth's performances as anything other than quite good. Even Mena Suvari is entertaining in this film.This film will never win any Academy Awards, but it is an entertaining film. If you happen to see it playing on cable or in your video store, give it a chance; you won't be disappointed.