Mena Suvari Movie:

Editorial Review:
Adapted from the Dumas classic The Three Musketeers and set in 17th-century France, The Musketeer focuses on young D'Artagnan (Justin Chambers), who revives the musketeers in a campaign against Cardinal Richelieu (Stephen Rea) and his vile henchman Febre (Tim Roth), who killed D'Artagnan's parents 14 years earlier. The heroes must rescue the abducted queen (Catherine Deneuve) and her comely confidante Francesca (Mena Suvari), with the obvious highlight being D'Artagnan and Febre's inevitable showdown, which trades "All for one, and one for all" for ludicrous swordplay on teetering ladders. The film gets a trendy boost from Hong Kong action choreographer Xin Xin Xiong (Time and Tide, Double Team), but the results are decidedly mixed. While director Peter Hyams achieves convincing period atmosphere (lighting by torch and candles, etc.), he's burdened by a lifeless script and a bland leading man. The Musketeer is lightly entertaining, but another viewing of Rob Roy will provide greater satisfaction. --Jeff Shannon

The Musketeer [Region 2] Reviews:
Excellent Stunts
2009-11-03 - I really enjoyed this dvd. The battle between good and evil is always good but when you add the stunts it is a refreshing new take on a great story. I would recommend this film.The Musketeer

Old-fashioned melodrama with Hong Kong-style action scenes
2009-10-28 - THE MUSKETEER

(UK/Germany/Luxembourg - 2001)

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Super 35)
Theatrical soundtracks: Dolby Digital / DTS / SDDS

In 17th century France, a young would-be Musketeer (Justin Chambers) struggles to prevent a plot by Cardinal Richelieu's villainous compatriots to plunge the country into all-out war.

Hoping to ring the changes on Alexandre Dumas' famous novel, director Peter Hyams (CAPRICORN ONE) and screenwriter Gene Quintano (COMIN' AT YA!) combine swashbuckling melodrama with newfangled Hong Kong action techniques, though Quintano's half-hearted script fails to bring anything new to the table EXCEPT its action set-pieces. Former Calvin Klein model Chambers is blank but athletic, and he's overshadowed by spirited co-stars Catherine Deneuve (the Queen of France) and Tim Roth (the villain), alongside Mena Suvari (AMERICAN BEAUTY) as Chambers' potential love interest.

Hyams' strives to recreate the grime and squalor of the period through careful lighting and décor, though a number of scenes unfold in near-darkness, undermining their dramatic effect. The movie is redeemed, however, by the work of action choreographer Xiong Xin-xin (Yang Hun-hun), a Hong Kong movie veteran with numerous films to his credit (SKINNY TIGER AND FATTY DRAGON, BLACK MASK, TIGER ON BEAT, WONDER SEVEN, TIME AND TIDE, etc.). He's best known for his recurring role in the "Once Upon a Time in China" series, which may explain why the climax of THE MUSKETEER - a showdown between Chambers and Roth in a room full of stepladders - is basically a replay of the climactic sequence from the first ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA (1991), one of the greatest action set-pieces ever filmed.


Remember the Ritz Brothers's version?
2009-07-20 - Please, get off your serious Leonard Maltin high jackasses and enjoy yourselves. This film bears no resemblance to any of Dumas' works, nor any of the earlier film versions (at least 7), which were tailored either to the leading man/lady or the director's whimsy. I really enjoyed all the crazy swordplay, being a Jackie Chan fan. The homage to Shanghai Noon, with flying ladders and wild-eyed, one eyed villain, was great fun.
Richard Lester's classic retelling starred English and American actors, none of whom had French accents, and it was not harmed by the Cockney-speaking peasants either. Les Mis doesn't have the first glimmer of a French accent, and it was written in French! Lighten up!
When such divers actors as Gene Kelly, Lana Turner, The Ritz Brothers and Chris O'Donnell get away with making films titled The Three Musketeers, no one is in a position to complain when Peter Hyams borrows a familiar character to spin a new tale. Read the entire Three Musketeers trilogy by Dumas (3M, Twenty Years Later, Ten Years After) and don't look for much, if any, resemblance to the celluloid versions.
The scruffy costumes of the disenfranchised Musketeers, the elaborate court dress, and the (back to Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon) use of torches and candles to light indoor scenes was useful window dressing, but who really cares if it was filmed in Luxembourg, France or Grand Fenwick?
I was amused but not impressed. But I have seen a lot worse films with bigger stars and more ambitious plots. (Rhymes with plotz, which would be Dumas' reaction to all these films).

The Bad & The Good
2009-03-27 - The star of the show is Justin Chambers and he gets incidental billing which is ridiculous despite his lack of acting skills. Having a weak lead actor is not the way to have box-office success. Stupid dialog doesn't help either, along with the Rambo action mentality in which the good guy doesn't get hit from close range.

On the upside, some of the action scenes were spectacular, the best swordplay I've ever seen. The ones at the beginning and the end of the film were the best, with some incredible stunt work.

This movie is beautifully photographed, too. Tim Roth was a good villain, as usual, and the heroes - even if they couldn't act - were fun to watch. The language is tame in here and the film should be rated PG, not PG- 13.

Good quality
2009-02-25 - This product came in, in good time and in good quality. Played the DvD and no issues what so ever.