Summary
When the Duke of Nevers, is killed by the Count Gozague in a villainous bid to usurp his
position, the swordmaster Lagardère flees with his daughter and swears revenge.
Years later, when Nevers' daughter has grown into a fine young woman, Lagardère
returns to the court to seek his revenge on Gonzague. What ensues is an amazing
confrontation of good against evil, with the eventual humiliation and destruction of the
wicked Gonzague.
Review
This is an action-packed two hours of swash-buckling adventure of the Three Musketeers
kind in which French cinema has revelled and excelled for decades. This film certainly
lives up to the standard of former triumphs of that ilk. The choreography of the
sword fights is quite stunning without appearing repetetive or overly violent.
The film's main strength is in its splendid performances from Daniel Auteil and Fabrice
Luchini, both actors being far from obvious choices for their respective roles, but both
working out very well indeed. The love thing between Auteuil's character and his
teenage ward looks a bit dubious, but that is easy to overlook in a film where so much
is happening.
The location work is excellent, with some truly stunning outdoor sequences, particularly
in the scenes where Lagardère and the Duke are on the run from Gonzague's henchmen.
A very entertaining romp, with some great sword fights and some supremely witty moments.
© James Travers 2000
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