The Man in the Iron Mask

* My favorite IMDB user reviews about The Man in the Iron Mask:

Pretty good for a Leo film - 2 March 2001
As an avid hater of the actor Leonardo DiCaprio, I nearly didn't give this film a chance. Oh, I am so glad my friend dragged me to see it. Gabriel Byrne was amazing and Gerard Depardieu managed to lighten a truly dramatic film. And Leo wasn't half bad either. He managed to even impress me.

Definitely worth seeing for Byrne's performance alone.

Better than you might think - 9 October 2000
Don't be put off of this film because it is a period drama, or because it stars Leonardo DiCaprio.

The story is based on a myth, and after watching the film for the first time, I felt compelled to research the myth myself. The most convincing parts of the film are the acting of the supporting characters (notably Byrne, Malkovich and Irons) and the musical score.

Certain scenes involving the older stars were some of the most powerful and compelling I have ever seen, particularly the one in the tomb where they discuss their plot to replace the king.

The film does not rely too heavily on the swashbuckling appeal of the musketeers, but rather on the development of individual characters and the relationships between them.

It is DiCaprio's best performance, though I admit that that is not saying much and his performance is nothing on that of the older men.

The plot is slightly unbelievable in places but if this and possible historical inaccuracies are overlooked, this is a very good film.

Overlooked and Underrated - 30 December 2001
When I first saw this movie in a theatre, the last thing I'd seen good ol' Leo in was TITANIC. Needless to say, I was kind of expecting the same mediocre, incomplete performance. I was pleasantly surprised by an entire cast (Leonardo DiCaprio included) that could actually ACT! The story, based pretty loosely on the Dumas novel, is interesting, and all the characters are easy to understand. Some of my favorite actors are in this film, among them Jeremy Irons, Gerard Depardieu, John Malkovich, and Gabriel Byrne, who comprise a powerful Musketeer group. Even DiCaprio portrays his characters to near perfection with the right flare and sympathy as called for, but would it have been impossible for him to at least attempt an accent more appropriate for the king of France in the 17th century other than that of a Californian? I guess that's only a small gripe, but visually, this is a spectacular feast for the eyes. This was Randall Wallace's debut as a director (his last big project before this was writing the screenplay for Braveheart) and I believe he did a remarkable job, also contributing much of his effort to the script. Another gorgeous aspect of this movie is the lush, sweeping and poignant score provided by Nick Glennie-Smith. I bought the soundtrack on CD, and I only wish that it could be longer! All in all, this is a very enjoyable flick - no matter what you're into: history, romance, drama, adventure, even a little comedy. It's all here, and I highly recommend this overlooked film. 9/10

So underrated! -12 December 2012
That's very sad. It's too underrated, and this movie is really good. The story is good and emotional (not in girly way), the cast is nice and talented. I don't know what people were expecting more. Leonardo DiCaprio is such an annoying little brat here, but acts so well. Jeremy Irons delivers such a powerful and empathetic character in a way that you can actually feel and see in his eyes the pain he's going through the whole movie. At the end you find out why Aramis was acting that way towards his old friends that you wonder how he resisted and not broke down in any moment. We have some comic relief coming from Gérard Depardieu's Porthos. He manages to calm down the tense atmosphere and give some sense of relieve to others as well. He is a very talented actor, and he really made me laugh in this.

It deserved some more nominations for sure. At least DiCaprio and Irons whom gave some really wonderful performances. It's very sad. I hope in the future the users will rate this higher. It doesn't deserve 6,3. At least a 7. AT LEAST!

Worth watching, very good movie, way underrated. It stands in the 3rd place in my own personal favorite movies of all time.

Fun, entertaining movie! - 23 June 2003
I never saw this movie in the theaters (it seemed like another Leo-mania "no REAL talent" type of film), but I remember a friend recommending it to me one night about 5 years back. Since I love sword fighting movies/3 musketeer flicks, I just had to give it a try. Plus, I had seen the previews, and they looked interesting. Well, let me tell you...from the opening scene to the ending credits, I was hooked with this film! It grabbed my attention, and was just pure fun!! I don't know why this movie got such a low rating on IMDB. It may not be a "masterpiece", but it's surely a great, fun, entertaining film!

First of all, the cast is great. I mean, have you seen so many good actors in one film?? Byrnes, Depardieu, Malcovich, DiCaprio, and Irons. All such a WONDERFUL cast, with good acting. I liked Leo's duel roles too. At first I thought it would be cheesy, but Leo delivered it well! He played both roles of Louis (bad king) and Phillipe (good king) so diversely! I liked how he had you loving one king, and totally despising the other! Someone also mentioned the way Leo totally changed characters with his "eyes". THe "EYES" say a lot, and Leo nailed it. I almost had to ask myself if this was the SAME actor playing Phillipe!

The plot was good (eh...might have been predictable, but still...great), the cinematagraphy was awesome, the music was moving, the sword fighting/action was cool! I absolutely loved Gabriel Byrnes in this movie. He was so great as D'Artagnan (sp?). John Malcovich was perfect for his role of Athos too. I really felt his pain. I have both the VHS (older) and the DVD version (hey, it was on sale for 9 bucks!! lol) of The Man In The Iron Mask, and the DVD version (although not a whole lot of extras) has a nice directors commentary. It really tells the director's vision for the film and all the behind the scene info. I STILL can't believe that this movie was his FIRST film!!

Very entertaining movie. I really don't know why people dogged this movie so much. It was SOOOO much better than that "OTHER" more RECENT musketeer movie that came out called "THE Musketeer". UGghgh...what a dissapointment!

But The Man In The Iron MASK is DEFINITELY a movie worth giving a try.

I REALLY enjoyed this movie! - 6 March 2001
Some may complain about how Philippe's face should have looked after 6 years in the mask, or the corny jail breakout or the lack of attention to true historical background. But for goodness sakes...it's a MOVIE! It's *supposed* to be entertaining...and boy, it sure delivers! I thought all of the performances were excellent...especially those of all 4 of the actors who played the musketeers (Gabriel Byrne, John Malkovich, Jeremy Irons and Gérard Depardieu). Best musketeers I've EVER seen in a movie.and I've seen many. I also thought Leo D. did a great job -- given what he had to work at...showing 2 such completely extreme personalities. Greatly enjoyed the bits of humor, the fantastic scenery, the nice cinematography and fabulous costumes! I've rented this movie several times, and think it's time I finally went out and bought a copy of my own, as it gets even better after several viewings :o) I'd definitely recommend it, especially if you love period pictures.

Underrated Film a Pleasant Surprise - 20 January 2000
The only reason I rented this video is because the new releases I wanted to see were checked out. I passed over "The Man in the Iron Mask" for many weeks since it appeared on the shelves because, for one thing, I'm not a big fan of period pieces which feature performers attempting to speak in whatever dialect that's required for their role. Even if the performer has mastered the accent, I still find it a distracting affectation. Also, some accents wear on me after awhile, especially when the whole cast is speaking in one that I'm not particularly fond of - I like French accents, but it would've also started wearing on me if everyone {besides the French} spoke with a French or attempted French accent. I found it refreshing that the performers in this movie weren't required to use a foreign accent, or more precisely, an accent foreign to them. I don't think it took away from the characters' authenticity at all; the actors were all very convincing, even moreso, without an affected accent.

Neither am I a big fan of swashbuckling, action type movies nor romantic movies, so the subject matter of this movie didn't attract me, nor did Leonardo DiCaprio's picture on the jacket. I hadn't even heard of Gabriel Byrne or the supporting female actresses, but having seen Malkovich, Irons and Depardieu, I knew there would be quality acting in this film, so, having grown bored with browsing, I rented it. I had no idea I was in for such a pleasant surprise, which would bring about a few first time experiences for me as well.

The first first experience for me was that I wanted to see it again - and again & again! I've never wanted to see a movie again within such a short period of time, much less repeatedly. I was more than just impressed with this movie, I was enchanted by it. Every performer, even those with bit parts, did an outstanding job. I thought Leonardo DiCaprio handled his dual role quite well; unlike Gabriel Byrne, John Malkovich and Jeremy Irons, who all have and bring a special magic to their performances, Leo still effectively conveyed the differences in his characters, not only in tone and affect, but in the way he was able to transform his eyes from the "sad puppy" eyes of Phillipe to the cold, steely eyes of Louis.>

I found the story very interesting (not having read the novel first, I wasn't thrown off by the relationship between D'Artagnon and Queen Ann) and the scenerey & costumes were wonderful. I loved the hairstyles on Aramis, Athos and Porthos, but thought D'Artagnon's hairstyle (severely parted way over on one side of his head) was very unflattering.

The music was so moving that I actually bought the soundtrack, which I've never been inclined to do as a result of a movie...

And - another first - I've never in all my 44 years been so totally captivated by not only a character (D'Artagnon), but by an actor as well: Gabriel Byrne. Seeing him for the first time in this movie prompted me to rent more of his films; there is something in him which transcends his characters that touches my very soul. And wouldn't you know that this newly discovered "soul mate" is someone I won't even get to meet!

All-in-all, I never expected a video I halfheartedly rented one evening to be one of the best movies I've seen in my life --which has prompted yet my next first experience in writing/submitting my comments on a movie.