The Three Musketeers: Part 1: D'Artagnan: An Exceptional Reimagining of a Classic

The Three Musketeers Part One, directed by Martin Bourboulon, is another reimagining of Alexandre Dumas’s classic book. This time, the film focuses on young D’Artagnan (Francois Civil) and his passion for and journey to become an official Musketeer.

Though one might think with all of the multitudes of remakes out there, how could this be any different? Hold on, because you are in for a beautifully crafted, raucous ride with a plethora of impressively well crafted, interwoven story arcs.

Follow your heart

The film begins with a dirty, disheveled D’Artagnan, who is on his way to Paris to answer a call for Musketeers. He encounters, what looks to be a robbery of a noblewoman, and, being an honorable man, fights to protect her.

He bests the men who are trying to pull off the “robbery”, then ends up being shot by the woman he was trying to save. What he doesn’t realize, is that he has inadvertently stumbled into something much deeper and more complex than he could’ve imagined.

Surviving the attempt, he makes his way to the palace, sneaking past the days long wait, to speak to the Captain of the Musketeers, (Marc Barbe), securing a cadet position. Pursuing someone he recognizes in the palace courtyard, he manages to literally run into Athos (Vincent Cassel), Porthos (Pio Marmai) and Aramis (Romain Duris), sending him careening into the adventure of his life.

La Guerre

At the same time France is in perpetual tensions with England due to the rise of Protestantism. King Louis XIII (Louis Garrel), is surrounded by people of the court, including his advisor Cardinal De Richelieu (Eric Ruf), who wants war between the Protestants of England and the French Catholics.

Samuel Goldwyn Films

King Louis wants peace, ruffling the feathers of his advisors and some close to him, who scheme behind his back. Along with Richelieu is a mysterious woman known as Milady (Eva Green), who works with Richelieu vying for war, all while who she really is and why she does, alludes us.

When a plot to rid the King of his best Musketeers begins, Aramis, Porthos and D’Artagnan leap to action to prove the innocence of their friend, Athos, who is wrongly accused of a crime. It takes them on an unexpected journey woven in treachery and deceit, where it seems no one can be trusted.

Will they be able to save Athos, keep themselves and the King and Queen (Vicky Krieps) safe, while figuring out the answers to this intricate plot?

in all honesty…

D’Artagnan proves itself a highly worthy contestant amongst its predecessors, shining with exemplary visual craft, writing and acting. It’s not like any of the others that I have seen.

Abounding with breathtaking cinematography and lighting; excellent chemistry and performances from the actors, and a story with so many carefully crafted twists, it is an outstanding beginning for this film series. It felt like an overwhelming labor of love by everyone involved.

Civil plays an astute, and charming D’Artagnan, with a welcome lightheartedness and earnest heart. Green serves up Milady with captivating beauty that is wickedly smart, cunning and cutthroat. I was also pleased to see a layer added to Porthos regarding his sexuality, that added more dimension to his character and flowed exquisitely with Marmai’s portrayal.

Samuel Goldwyn Films

I was pleased to see that Richelieu wasn’t the main villain this time around. He was played with much more reserve than in other films and though he’s still plotting, this rendition sets him aside this round for other, more colorful characters. These characters mesh effortlessly within a world where no one is safe and where anything can happen.

I was awed with the ability of writers Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patelliere, to set up so many story arcs that were so skillfully crafted and layered. They were able to have multiple moving parts that all wrapped up smoothly, leaving me excited for the next installment.

The flow of the film is never fettered by its multiple arcs and there wasn’t a part of it that seemed dragged out or boring. Though we are left with questions, with the confident way it’s portrayed and executed, we know we are in secure and skillful hands.

Bravo cast and crew! I rarely get to give this shining of a recommendation of a high budget remake, especially in the writing department, because most remakes today rely on CGI instead of true craft to succeed.

All that remains to be seen now is if Bourboulon and his talented crew will be able to pull off the next film(s) with as much grace and satisfaction as this one.

I hope that the next one(s) are created just as well, if not better! Looking forward to see what they come up with.