The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan (15)

In 1627, gifted swordsman D'Artagnan heads to Paris with a letter of recommendation addressed to Captain De Treville, commander of the Musketeers. En route, D'Artagnan unknowingly interrupts a diabolical plot orchestrated by Milady. He arrives in the French capital to make unfortunate first impressions on Athos, Aramis and Porthos. As political divisions threaten war, the Cardinal de Richelieu secretly colludes with Milady to smear the queen's reputation.

LondonNet Film Review

The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan (15) Film Review from LondonNet

Swashes buckle, blades clash and female characters defy 17th-century gender norms in director Martin Bourboulon’s handsomely staged two-part romp through the pages of Alexandre Dumas’s novel. The Three Musketeers: Milady will be released in France at the end of the year, glimpsing courtly intrigue through the eyes of the seductive spy. First, we are treated to two hours of breathlessly staged sword fights and chases on horseback in the company of Francois Civil’s dashing D’Artagnan as he joins the ranks of the valiant Musketeers…

Screenwriters Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patelliere retain core narrative bookmarks involving a diamond necklace but they offer subtle shifts in perspective with an emphasis on depicting intelligent, independent and resourceful women as the power behind the French throne. Dialogue is respectful to the rhythms and poetry of the era but retains a modern sheen. One Musketeer’s penchant for lovers of both genders is neatly summarised (“A thigh is a thigh”) and on-screen courtship is blush-inducingly sweet. An early skirmish between men loyal to King Louis XIII and the Cardinal de Richelieu is seemingly shot in a single take, the camera careening between D’Artagnan, Athos, Aramis and Porthos as they engage enemies in bruising, mud-smeared combat. It’s a breath-taking spectacle of technical virtuosity and impeccable choreography that leaves lead actor Civil visibly out of breath and us in a similar state of thrilling exhaustion.

The year is 1627 and gifted swordsman D’Artagnan (Civil) heads to Paris with a letter of recommendation addressed to Captain De Treville (Marc Barbe), commander of the Musketeers, who are sworn to protect King Louis XIII (Louis Garrel) and the queen, Anne Of Austria (Vicky Krieps). En route, D’Artagnan unknowingly interrupts a diabolical plot orchestrated by Milady (Eva Green) and suffers what appears to be a fatal blow in blade-wielding battle. Thankfully, news of the hero’s demise is greatly exaggerated and he arrives in the French capital to make unfortunate first impressions on Athos (Vincent Cassel), Aramis (Romain Duris) and Porthos (Pio Marmai).

As divisions between Protestants and Catholics threaten war between France and England, the Cardinal de Richelieu (Eric Ruf) secretly colludes with Milady to smear the queen’s reputation by exposing her relationship with the dashing Duke Of Buckingham (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd). The queen’s seamstress and confidante Constance (Lyna Khoudri) entangles D’Artagnan in the courtly intrigue, setting in motion a series of daring missions to protect the French throne from Machiavellian machinations.

The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan is a lavish retelling that doesn’t deviate greatly from expectations but spares no expenses with production design, costumes and fight choreography. Civil’s whippersnapper is the dramatic fulcrum but co-stars share screen time to develop their full-blooded characters to the point that a climactic use of storytelling convention – “To be continued…” – leaves us pleasantly hungry for more.

– Jo Planters