This is a somwhat dull version of the well known Four Musketeers-story. It's framed as a flashback, told by the old D'Artagnan to a young wannabe musketeer. It starts as usual with the duels that young and impetuous D'Artagnan provokes with his soon to be friends, there are some skirmishes with Richelieu's men, and D'Artagnan even meets the notorious Milady, but that's pretty much it.
Don't expect any swashbuckling or dashing heroism, there's in fact hardly any action, most of that takes place outside of the camera and is only talked about afterwards. All settings are limited to small rooms, and just when you think: what will happen next? (we see for instance how double-crossing Milady is conferring with her evil chef Rochefort about how to compromise D'Artagnan) the movie suddenly ends, with as closing scene D'Artagnan popping up at his fathers after two years, to proudly tell him that he has become a musketeer himself. The movie doesn't even take the trouble to neatly close the flashback concept with a return to the old D'Artagnan.
All characters hold extensive dialogues and monologues, mostly in an almost declamatory Oxfordian English (in spite of them playing native Frenchmen), while Milady (actress Molly Hindle, just as English as the rest of the cast!) strangely enough is burdened with a weird accent, as if she's the only real French person around. In the cast hardly anyone stands out, neither unfortunately does young Matt Ingram-Jones, who is at least very attractive, I had so granted him a more rewarding part to put his teeth in!
Don't expect any swashbuckling or dashing heroism, there's in fact hardly any action, most of that takes place outside of the camera and is only talked about afterwards. All settings are limited to small rooms, and just when you think: what will happen next? (we see for instance how double-crossing Milady is conferring with her evil chef Rochefort about how to compromise D'Artagnan) the movie suddenly ends, with as closing scene D'Artagnan popping up at his fathers after two years, to proudly tell him that he has become a musketeer himself. The movie doesn't even take the trouble to neatly close the flashback concept with a return to the old D'Artagnan.
All characters hold extensive dialogues and monologues, mostly in an almost declamatory Oxfordian English (in spite of them playing native Frenchmen), while Milady (actress Molly Hindle, just as English as the rest of the cast!) strangely enough is burdened with a weird accent, as if she's the only real French person around. In the cast hardly anyone stands out, neither unfortunately does young Matt Ingram-Jones, who is at least very attractive, I had so granted him a more rewarding part to put his teeth in!