Barnes & Noble

In the season’s most outrageous stylistic gambit, The Musketeer melds traditional swashbuckling with martial-arts action -- a highly improbable mix that nonetheless produces a thoroughly satisfying, even invigorating adventure film. Adapted loosely (very loosely) from Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers, this opulent extravaganza is set in 17th-century France, where a weak Louis XIII is dominated by ruthless Cardinal Richelieu (Stephen Rea), and the evil cardinal's henchman Febre (Tim Roth) commits hideous atrocities in the name of his king. When Richelieu’s machinations imperil the queen (Catherine Deneuve) and her loyal dresser (Mena Suvari), gallant young D’Artagnan and his faithful friends, the King’s Musketeers, ride to their rescue. If you’re a fan of cinematic swashbucklers, you’ve seen this tale before -- but not as presented by director Peter Hyams (The Relic) and stunt choreographer Xin-Xin Xiong, who stage battle scenes with the brio of a Jackie Chan outing. This definitely isn’t your father’s Three Musketeers; simple swordfights are never employed when Hyams and Xiong can incorporate sets and props into a donnybrook. The actors aren’t exactly chopped liver either -- Rea and Roth are deliciously malevolent, and Deneuve approaches her potentially stodgy assignment with tongue firmly in cheek. Still, it’s the eye-popping action that makes The Musketeer such an enjoyable romp. DVD special features include cast-crew biographies, production notes, the theatrical trailer, and DVD-ROM content. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Director Peter Hyams brings the modern choreography talents of famed Hong Kong fight sequence designer Xin Xin Xiong to this action adventure that departs widely from its classic novel source material, focusing exclusively on the D'Artagnan character and either excising other characters completely or relegating them to minor supporting roles. Justin Chambers stars as D'Artagnan, a country-bred lad whose skill with a sword has led to aspirations of becoming a Musketeer, one of the French king's elite guard. Upon arriving in Paris, however, he finds that the Musketeers have been disbanded by order of Cardinal Richelieu (Stephen Rea), who is usurping the king's authority with the help of a lethally gifted henchman, Febre (Tim Roth). Soon, D'Artagnan is embroiled in an effort to prevent a war between his native country and England, meeting up with a beautiful love interest (Mena Suvari) along the way. As he has often done before, director Hyams doubles as his own cinematographer. Karl Williams

Los Angeles Times

Philip Harrison's superb production design, Raymond Hughes and Cynthia Dumont's wide range of costumes, Gigi Lepage's gowns for Deneuve and David Arnold's rightly thundering score all help bring alive Dumas' romantic, tumultuous world one more time. Kevin Thomas

Product Details

• UPC: 025192176524
• Source: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Cinemascope (2.35:1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital, DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound
• Language: English, Français
• Subtitles: English
• Time: 1:45:00
• Sales Rank: 5,344

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