Rating of
3/4
"The Three Musketeers" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 12/31/11
A young peasant eager to join the Kings' Musketeers falls foul of the scheming Cardinal Richelieu and his men while attempting to save the Queen from public scandal. One of the defining adaptations of Dumas' classic story, The Three Musketeers is a light hearted swashbuckler that was the Pirates Of The Caribbean of its day. A fantastic cast and attention to detail make for a highly characterful adventure full of old school charm and humour which was a million miles away from the period films of the time which were all so po-faced they tended to feel more like animated museum exhibits than entertainment. The Musketeers were not shown as infallible superheroes but clumsy brawlers who were just as apt to fall on their backsides or run away as a certain pirate we all know and love. Oliver Reed, at his most charismatic is the pick of a hugely appealing cast and there are a lot of laughs in the action sequences that are as much about slapstick as swordplay. On the downside, it all seems a little slight by today's standards, probably because it is only the first part of a two part story, concluded in The Four Musketeers. The plot and characterisation take a back seat to the gags so there is little in the way of dramatic weight but this was addressed in the darker sequel that was even better. A minor classic.
