The Man In The Iron Mask
In case you thought any of the previous seven versions of The Man In The Iron Mask were lacking something—say, Leonardo DiCaprio or any other suitable teen sex symbol—you should be more than satisfied with the latest retelling, as DiCaprio gets plenty of screen time playing not one but two roles. If you thought the previous versions lacked pageantry and beautiful period costumes, the abundance of both in this version should suit you. If it's powerhouse players you're craving, this version boasts Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gerard Depardieu, and Gabriel Byrne. With all these trappings, the story is secondary. DiCaprio is the evil King Louis XIV, who has banished his twin brother to wear an iron mask in the deepest dungeons. When the king's abuses of power become too much, the original Three Musketeers band together in a plot to replace the king with his twin. Somehow, the mood never properly gels. A mish-mash of accents (buffoonish Depardieu's French, somber Irons' British, and DiCaprio and Malkovich carrying the same voices they use for every project) are vaguely unsettling, and there seems to be too little swashbuckling for characters who are synonymous with the term. Despite all that, it's a compelling tale of right vs. wrong that defies any age, and there are a few surprises you can't see coming from miles away.