'The Musketeer' is more bore than lore

Universal Studios

Cardinal Richelieu (Stephen Rea, left) consults with his evil henchman Febre (Tim Roth).

Since we really needed another telling of Alexandre Dumas' "The Three Musketeers" - surely there's something better than 1998's flatliner "The Man in the Iron Mask" - D'Artagnan, Aramis, Athos and Porthos are back for more sword fighting in the new film "The Musketeer."
   "The Musketeer" goes beyond swashbuckling bravado, dancing on barrels and gun-spinning - although it does that, too. It features intricate fight sequences that are, according to its ads, coordinated by a legendary Hong Kong action choreographer.
   Action fans will no doubt flock to the film (starring Justin Chambers and Mena Suvari), but don't expect "Crouching Tiger"-style sequences in mid-air. This film's lame D'Artagnan (Chambers) turns Musketeer lore into Musketeer bore.
   Avenging his parents' deaths, D'Artagnan heads to Paris to become a Musketeer. But Cardinal Richelieu (Stephen Rea) has decommissioned the group in favor of his own force, and the Musketeers have largely drowned their sorrows in ale.
   D'Artagnan tries to rally the trio, but the Musketeers feel helpless as Richelieu and his evil cohort Febre (Tim Roth) slowly chip away at King Louis XIV's power and his wife's (Catherine Deneuve) sanity.
   It's strange to see film goddess Catherine Deneuve share the screen with such shallow schlock. Deneuve isn't given the opportunity to shine through the skin of her narrow character, but thankfully, Roth had a lot to work with.
   Roth's villain is a delight. His downright rottenness was more consistent than any of the film's other elements.
   Even better, the script puts the spotlight on Febre - this story's true protagonist - and saves the film from complete damnation in movie hell.
   Chambers' one-dimensional portrayal can't be called acting, because emotion was elusive from his uninspired line-reading.
   Chambers was also the victim of the over-hyped, under-lit and badly shot fight sequences. The film promises Honk Kong-style acrobatic trickery, but action choreographer Xin Xin Xiong breaks no new ground here and only lazily treads over already used airspace and a tired idea.
  
  

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