European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 21, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse V re \ i is 7 to Siroki in Lelir to talc it to _ d Dreyfus Waltar i Seattle Preh detect. Hong lie o Donnell. New in t,.T.-. A. I Limey held. Titt Thil aim include. Lily torn in. r. Serve or Stallone i. In expert mown who wit. Hii kills to the re. I Netheim to. Din Aykroyd ind Jane Curt re be Man x pm the president. With is Newmey Weaver. Vib a i Wen. R. Cop lain Wesley snipe ire or Eneil i. Walter Mai tick r cheer troubled part killer Hale. Tim Rte Iron i o i j. A Cri want to become � pm r forced out of the army during the Spanish american War by an incr Pulou. Lieutenant. ci2 Lead. Bunch of Oulla i. To i . Where it l Given and carve out a Niche in the fron tier Mario Van Peeble. Ind Sally richard.= to act Jet. Scan Cannery Andt Lwi. To Eeve wevk7sn.pe� inv Migate when dead women found Matheus. Headquarter. Of Jimme Corpora u now thai it a. Reached it. Third hwnw41im ill cd in foray Inlo . 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And you can wait slashing sword fights frantic Chase scenes comely wenches adventurous Ucros dastardly villains All the elements that have helped this Alex Andre Dumas tale of Honor and Cour age endure for generations Are Here. But while it s Beautiful to look at Hollywood s fifth adaptation of the Book is about a mile wide and an Inch deep. Picking such actors As Charlie Sheen and Kiefer Sutherland to play musketeers is a Good indication that the folks at Disney were looking More for style than substance. That s just what director Stephen Herek and screenwriter David Lough Ery give them sanitizing All the dark strains of the original Story to serve up Dumas Lite. At least they finally got one thing right the actors Are just about the Ages Dumas meant them to be. In other versions the actors who play of Artagnan among them Douglas Fairbanks in the 1921 silent film and Michael York in the Fine 1974 remake of were in their 30s. That s too old to fit the character of a naive but Headstrong 17th-Century farm boy who Heads for Paris to enlist in the musketeers the elite Palace guards of King Louis Xiii. This time baby faced Chris o Donnell Ai Pac Ino s whipping boy in scene of a woman gets the nod. But while he May have the right look o Donnell can t quite pull this one off. Every time he opens his Mouth he brings to mind not a Young gallic sword master but a Southern California surfer dude. D Artagnan arrives in Paris too late to realize his dream As the evil Cardi Nal Richelieu Tim Curry has ordered the musketeers to disband. Richelieu claims the action is necessary because the musketeers Are needed in the in Fantry for the looming War with eng land. But his real motivation is to get rid of the guard so he can put in motion a plot to overthrow the Young King Hugh o Conor and install himself on the throne. Unfortunately for Richelieu and his cohorts countess Dewinter Rebecca Demornay and Earl of Rochefort Michael Wincott plus three of the musketeers Athos Sutherland Aramis Sheen and Porthos Oliver Platt sniff the treachery afoot. Joined by d Artagnan they set out to uncover Richelieu s plot and save the King. This Calls for much thrusting and parrying and the sword fight choreography is enjoyably believable. But the fact that so much screen time is taken up by Chase scenes is a Clear Giveaway that Herek and Loughery Are in Over their Heads. Herek main claims to Fame Are the mighty ducks and Don t Tell mom the Babysitter s dead. Enough said on that score. Loughery wrote the screenplay for Star trek a universally considered to be the weakest film in that series. There s one Chase scene that goes on so Long it has its own intermission. Just As the scene gets into High gear Herek cuts away to another lengthy sequence involving Richelieu and Queen Anne utterly Bland Gabrielle Anwar. Then the film returns to the Chase still in Progress. The acting performances Are mixed. Demornay docs her usual one note ice Queen shtick. Sutherland is so mopey and morose that you wish someone would give him a Vitamin Booster shot. Sheen is just Plain wooden As devout inscrutable Aramis. On the plus Side plan s earthy por Thos comes across As endearingly human sparking Many of the films Best laughs. As Rochefort. Wincott also has Good scenes in the same kind of evil sidekick role he played in. Robin Hood Prince of thieves As Guy of gis Bourne Cousin of the sheriff of Nottingham. Curry seems right at Home in his part giving Richelieu the perfect veneer of oily malice. For the most part Herek is Able to conceal the film s weightlessness by keeping a Cyclone of color and move ment swirling throughout. The three musketeers is the Cinema equivalent of chinese food adequately engaging while on screen but an hour later you la forget you saw it. The musketeer motto is All for one one for but As far As this film is concerned it s All for two stars that is. Page 12 sunday november 21, 1993
