Review by John P. Harvey.
The young D’Artagnan (François Civil) has travelled to Paris intent on joining the King’s company of musketeers as his father did before him. Before even arriving at his destination, he is embroiled in fights and duels that threaten to undo his career before it has begun — not to mention ending his life. But these events merely set up a grand story: the story of the efforts of D’Artagnan and the three musketeers to keep at bay the head of the Catholic Church in France, Cardinal Richelieu (Eric Ruf), in his scheming to topple the French monarchy and leave himself ruling France.
Cardinal Richelieu has plenty of resources at his disposal, including riches, his own army, and unsuspected assassins, including the extremely dangerous and deceptive Milady (Eva Green). The musketeers’ challenge of protecting the crown is complicated by the love that Louis XIII’s (Louis Garrel) queen, Anne (Vicky Krieps), bears for the Duke of Buckingham (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd); to make it even more difficult, several key deceased victims and live enemies appear to be unidentifiable, and evidence has been filched.
So the musketeers’ tasks entail solving mysteries. But the plot and flavour of The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan primarily focus less on mystery than on sword-wielding adventure, subterfuge, and a good dash of dry humour, all served up by well-defined characters. Civil brings to the role of D’Artagnan a somewhat rash young man expressing his principles and loyalties with courage and passion — which he expresses also toward the Queen’s personal messenger, Constance (Lyna Khoudri), herself no pushover.
Wry observations by Porthos (Pio Marmaï) alert us to interesting aspects of his fellow musketeers: the paradoxical pessimism by which Athos (Vincent Cassel) lives and seems to welcome death; and the unusual blend of holy warrior and ungodly lover that is Aramis (Romain Duris). Though none of them acts the comedian, the interactions between these four champions of the monarchy, a contradictory mix of antagonism and deep friendship, never fail to entertain.
On a side note, the session we attended fell on the festival’s opening night, a celebration that attendees have come to know and love so well that the cinema screened the film in four theatres simultaneously, with a glass of wine (very good wine, I’m told) beforehand, a box of tasty vegetarian nibbles in the theatres, and finger food and more at a DJ-equipped afterparty with a warm atmosphere enlivened by the fun of the film.
Screening at Palace cinemas.