The Man in the Iron Mask

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The Man in the Iron Mask

PG-13

Released Mar 13, 1998

2h 12m

Adventure

Action

Drama

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Popcornmeter

32%

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41 Reviews

55%

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250,000+ Ratings

The former musketeer Athos (John Malkovich) swears vengeance after despotic King Louis XIV (Leonardo DiCaprio) causes the death of his son. Summoning his old comrades Porthos (Gérard Depardieu) and Aramis (Jeremy Irons), he hatches a plan to liberate a shackled prisoner rumored to be the king's twin brother, and then install him on the throne. But the three musketeers must also contend with their old friend D'Artagnan (Gabriel Byrne), who has remained in the king's service.

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Critics Consensus

Leonardo DiCaprio plays dual roles with diminishing returns in The Man in the Iron Mask, a cheesy rendition of the Musketeers' epilogue that bears all the pageantry of Alexandre Dumas' text, but none of its romantic panache.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

[There's] just too much great stuff here for this version of the Dumas story to be summarily dismissed.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 20, 2018

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Mike Clark

USA Today

To these nonteen ears and eyes, the kid is no more real in either guise than his phony flowing locks. And the romantic scenes fizzle next to Titanic's steamy roll in a Rolls.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 9, 2018

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: B-

Sep 7, 2011

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Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

Long in the tooth and unfocused and wastes its bang up cast.

Jun 4, 2020

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Brian D. Johnson

Maclean's Magazine

As aging musketeers, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gérard Depardieu and Gabriel Byrne-each sporting a different accent-all look faintly embarrassed, like serious actors stuck performing at a kids' birthday party.

Oct 30, 2019

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

[UPDATED 2024 4K + BLU-RAY REVIEW] It's an irresistible story, but the movie suffers from clunky dialogue and a barrage of mismatched performances that represent just about every school of acting known to man.

Rated: 2.5/4

Apr 23, 2019

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Mark P

The Man in the Iron Mask celebrates love, honor, and goodness in a rare way. A stellar cast, strikes a great balance between across several plot points. I truly don’t understand the hate on this movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/18/24

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Jay W

"Man in the Iron Mask" is a 1998 adaptation of the Alexander Dumas Novel of the same name. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeremy Irons and John Malkovich, and I would say that its all-star cast is the strongest aspect of the film. Leo is a good pick for King Louie XIV. Fresh off "Titanic", Leo is able to play both the charming heart throb that you can see as a king. While at the same time able to play the despicable scoundrel, you can see as a tyrant. Likewise, the rest of cast do a good job in their roles. The action isn't all that impressive. Coming out the same year as "Mask of Zorro", this movie does not hold a candle to the expertly crafted sword fights and action scenes of Zorro. All fights are just, two moves, then cut to a different camera angle. The story is rich in themes and symbolism. There is a recurring motif of forgiveness that runs throughout the movie. But narratively, it is frustrating that in order for the events of the movie to happen, certain characters have to be kept in the dark about important details. The movie could be a whole lot shorter if Jeremy Irons would've just explained the backstory of his plan to the musketeers when they were all gathered together. It feels like it is deliberately written that way to construct artificial conflict. This made the movie also feel unnecessarily long. By the third climax, I was ready for it to be done. Still a classic tale, told with some style. It's not torture, but it is far from royalty.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/21/24

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Twiggy H

Epic movie on all portions - never a dull moment, especially with an naked impotent man being overly dramatic in a barn with a limp bit of rope..

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/23/24

Full Review

Fabrícia F

Mesmo com status de fracasso atestado pela crítica e pelo público, esse filme chama a atenção pela originalidade da interpretação de Leonardo DiCaprio no papel de gêmeos idênticos. Ao menos vale a pena acompanhar a história para torcer pelo irmão bonzinho.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/23/24

Full Review

Valerie B

Absolutely fantastic movie!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/11/24

Full Review

Stephen P

I loved it. The "critics" reviews are downright pretentious. What makes your opinion so valid?

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/08/24

Full Review

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Randall Wallace

Director

Leonardo DiCaprio

King Louis XIV

Jeremy Irons

Aramis

John Malkovich

Athos

Gérard Depardieu

Porthos

Gabriel Byrne

D'Artagnan

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Synopsis

The former musketeer Athos (John Malkovich) swears vengeance after despotic King Louis XIV (Leonardo DiCaprio) causes the death of his son. Summoning his old comrades Porthos (Gérard Depardieu) and Aramis (Jeremy Irons), he hatches a plan to liberate a shackled prisoner rumored to be the king's twin brother, and then install him on the throne. But the three musketeers must also contend with their old friend D'Artagnan (Gabriel Byrne), who has remained in the king's service.

Director: Randall Wallace
Producer: Russell Smith, Randall Wallace
Screenwriter: Alexandre Dumas, Randall Wallace
Distributor: United Artists
Production Co: United Artists
Rating: PG-13 (Some Sensuality|Some Nudity|Violence)
Genre: Adventure, Action, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 13, 1998, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 21, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $57.0M
Runtime: 2h 12m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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