The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)

Director: Randall Wallace
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich

Synopsis:
The corrupt King Louis XIV is the target of a rebellion that would replace him with his secret twin brother who languishes in the Bastille.

Impressions:
When your only prior exposure to the story of The Three Musketeers is the '93 Disney version, this comes off as rather bleak and dark, but I wager it's closer to the source material. At the time, it banked heavily on Leonardo DiCaprio's appeal to the teenyboppers. My susceptibility to hype backlash kept me away until more recent years. You've got a strong cast with Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gabriel Byrne and Gerard Depardieu as the four Musketeers, who have grown apart over the years and find themselves at odds with each other. One of the main strengths of an adaptation of this story is the ability of the lead actor to sell the polar opposite twins and DiCaprio does an admittedly good job with the complete dirtbag Louis and the nobler Philippe. This is a good film and if you want a more serious take on the Musketeer lore, this is a fine choice.

Rating:
Watch It