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All Movie Info
Directed By
Randall Wallace
Written By:
Randall Wallace
Cast:
Leonardo DiCaprio, Gabriel Byrne, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gerard Depardieu, Anne Parillaud, Judith Godreche, Peter Sarsgaard, Hugh Laurie, Edward Atterton, Edward Atterton
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The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
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Movie Review by Jarrod 
December 3rd, 2007
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'The Man in the Iron Mask' is an adaptation of the famed novel from French writer Alexandre Dumas, creator of the Three Musketeers, who appear in this story, about Louis XIV and the possibility that his twin brother is the one locked away in a prison, his face eternally covered so no one may know his real identity. That would certainly be a reasonable explanation, whether Louis XIV really had a twin or not. Louis XIV, of course, was France's longest-reigning monarch, in power 72 years, he built Versailles and indulged his every worldly desire, maintaining an elegant and luxurious court while ordinary Parisians rioted in the streets for bread. Here, Leonardo DiCaprio (in his first post-Titanic role) plays Louis as a spoiled brat, vain, cruel, and foolish, oblivious to what is happening outside of his palace.
He is served faithfully by D'Artagnan (Byrne), one of the Musketeers, who are not really together anymore, but still remain friends. Athos (Malkovich) has a son named Raoul (Peter Sarsgaard), who has fallen in love with Christine (Judith Godreche), and they are supposed to marry. Louis wants Christine for himself, so he sends Raoul off to war, where he is sure to be killed (he seems to have read about the success David had doing this in the Old Testament, with Bathsheba's husband). Athos is ready to slay the young royal, but D'Artagnan intervenes. Athos conspires with Aramis (Irons) and Porthos (Depardieu) to break Louis's brother Philippe (also DiCaprio) out of jail, so he can replace Louis, and rule more fairly, justly, and compassionately.
They make the switch at a costume party, where they mess with Louis's mind by making him think he sees iron masks everywhere, and then they kidnap him, and hold him hostage. The fact that Philippe expresses kindness and concern for his subjects makes everyone either surprised or suspicious, including D'Artagnan, who confronts his old pals and demand that Louis be released. So, they are swapped again, and then comes a revelation about D'Artagnan and Louis and Philippe's mother, Anne (Anne Parillaud), who loves both her sons, but is apparently willing to let Philippe rot in prison, rather than defy Louis's wishes. The excellent production values and sensational cast make this worthwhile. Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gerard Depardieu and Gabriel Byrne are all wonderful, but it is Byrne who has the most charisma and screen presence, and whose scenes with Parillaud are among the best in the movie.
DiCaprio does a good job making Louis easy to hate, but he is rather bland as Philippe, and he still looked like a boy, not the slightest flaw in his complexion, but also not a lot of meat on his bones. The action sequences are thrilling enough, lots of swordplay, but there could have been more of it, to offset some of the melodrama in the early parts. It starts off slowly, but picks up after the first hour, and maintains momentum after that, as the plot thickens, and you keep wondering when and if D'Artagnan will switch sides, and turn on Louis. Never mind the sappy ending, or the shameless display of blinding heroism, as the Musketeers charge forward at men they have trained and inspired, men with guns, ready to shoot them, but so overcome with awe at their courage and valor, they simply cannot pull their triggers.
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