One plus one equals none in the 'Iron Mask'<\/p>\n
By Oren Murphy<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): For those who have tired of seeing Leonardo
\nDiCaprio's face plastered on posters, T-shirts and other Titanic
\naccessories, there might be a natural inclination to avoid seeing
\nthe new film in which he stars, The Man in the Iron Mask.<\/p>\n
It is, perhaps, not surprising that the caliber of his
\nperformance in the film does not match up to the size of his
\nfame. Unfortunately, his double performance as both the cruel
\nKing Louis XIV and Louis' twin brother (the man in the iron mask)
\ndoesn't persuade, not to mention impress, even when not weighed
\nagainst his fame. Luckily, the film doesn't consist solely of
\nDiCaprio and the powerful supporting roles are enough to almost
\nlet us ignore his shortcomings.<\/p>\n
The plot unfolds in the court of a ruthless young Louis XIV
\nwho squanders money on wars even as Parisians starve in the
\nstreets. We witness various token acts of despotic tyranny before
\nthe story begins to move in a decisive direction. The lecherous
\nking is struck by the beauty of Christine (Judith Godreche), but
\nshe has already pledged her heart to Raoul (Peter Sarsgaard).
\nRaoul is shortly thereafter sent off to war by the king, where he
\nis killed.<\/p>\n
The death infuriates Raoul's father, Athos (John Malkovich),
\nwho plans to avenge his death with the help of two friends,
\nAramis (Jeremy Irons) and Porthos (Gerard Depardieu), by
\nswitching the real king with his identical twin who suffers
\nlocked away in an iron mask.<\/p>\n
Along with the old friends who once served as the original
\nthree Musketeers, they rejoin forces to implement their plan.
\nStanding in their way, however, is d'Artagnan (Gabriel Byrne),
\nthe fourth Musketeer, who maintains his oath of loyalty to the
\nking.<\/p>\n
Byrne gives by far the most fascinating and multidimensional
\nperformance in the film, as we watch him attempt to reconcile his
\ndisparate loyalties to his king, life-long friends and sense of
\nprinciples.<\/p>\n
In scenes where the camera moves between Byrne and DiCaprio,
\none almost experiences vertigo, so great is the difference in the
\nrange of their performances. The true strength of the film lies
\nin the interaction between d'Artagnan and the former musketeers.
\nIt is through the conflict presented in these characters that the
\ndeeper currents of honor, nobility and love flow.<\/p>\n
Written and directed by Richard Wallace (known for screenplay
\nwork in Braveheart), the directorial work does a nice job of
\nkeeping the viewer's attention throughout the film. The dialog
\ngives the actors enough material to work, with the exception of a
\nfew clunkers that even Byrne couldn't rescue.<\/p>\n
In an intimate scene with the queen (Anne Parillaud), he says,
\n\"I know that to love you is treason against France, but to not
\nlove you is treason against my heart.\"<\/p>\n
Almost all of the dialog when coming from DiCaprio's mouth,
\nunfortunately, sounds flat and unconvincing. The undiluted twang
\nof his American accent also throws the audience directly out of
\n17th century France and into the 1990s America. In fact, most of
\nhis character development comes not through his two-dimensional
\nperformance, but from the screenplay itself.<\/p>\n
The film offers swashbuckling adventure, trials of honor, and
\nmoments of humor through Depardieu's lustful Porthos. For the
\ndiehard Leonardo fan, the film has enough to offer and this time
\nyou have a choice of a dark Leonardo or a sensitive Leonardo.
\nThere should be enough to keep one and all -- not to mention all
\nand one -- interested, if not overly impressed.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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