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The Musketeer

The Musketeer

Movie · 2001 · 3 people

The Musketeer is a 2001 swashbuckling adventure shot in English. Peter Hyams both directed this loose take on Alexandre Dumas's 1844 novel The Three Musketeers and photographed it himself; the screenplay is by Gene Quintano. Its title changes with the country: in France it is D'Artagnan, in Quebec Le Mousquetaire.

The story is set in seventeenth-century France and follows the young swordsman d'Artagnan, caught in the middle of court intrigue. Catherine Deneuve, Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea, Tim Roth and Justin Chambers lead the cast, with Daniel Mesguich and Tsilla Chelton also in the film. It was made by the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom, with Jan Fantl, Mark Damon and Steven Paul among the producers. The fights were choreographed by Xiong Xin-xin, known for his work on Hong Kong director Tsui Hark's films; this martial-arts-flavoured swordplay is the main thing that sets the film apart from earlier adaptations.

It opened on 7 September 2001 in the US, the next day in France and on 28 December in Germany. Arriving days before the September 11 attacks overshadowed it. It did moderately well in North America but poorly elsewhere, and critics were largely negative.

DirectorPeter Hyams

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Cast

Only cast members with a profile on this site are listed.

Catherine Deneuve Catherine Deneuve Film actor · 83 years old Daniel Mesguich Daniel Mesguich Stage actor · 74 years old Tsilla Chelton Actor · died at 93

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Through different eyes

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

The sword fights are the one real reason to watch this, and it isn't a small one. Xiong Xin-xin's choreography, drawing on Eastern martial arts, gives the classic musketeer duel a completely different speed and acrobatic flair. The trouble is that once the fighting stops the pace sags, and the court-intrigue scenes drag on and on. Put it on for the action, and bring some patience for the gaps.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Having Peter Hyams serve as both director and cinematographer may have given the film a consistent visual identity, but the screenplay, a loose reworking of Dumas, doesn't show the same care. Gene Quintano's script uses court intrigue not to deepen the characters but to get from one fight to the next. Having strong names like Catherine Deneuve, Tim Roth and Stephen Rea in the cast only makes it more obvious how little room the material gives them. The real novelty is the Hong Kong-school sword choreography, a choice that genuinely sets it apart from earlier adaptations. The largely negative reviews are no surprise: the form is bold, the structure ordinary. Interesting as a genre hybrid, weak as an adaptation of Dumas.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

An appealing pick for kids who love swords and adventure. There are a lot of fight scenes and they are very energetic, which may be too much for little ones. The court-intrigue parts, on the other hand, may bore children. I'd say it suits middle-school age and up. Families looking for a light weekend adventure to watch together with the grown-ups will be happy enough.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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