The Man in the Iron Mask was the Musketeers sequel that no one asked for, but everyone got in the wake of Titanic. The late 90s were an odd time where Leonardo DiCaprio was King and working with Mel Gibson still got you Hollywood cred. As such, the writer of Braveheart got to create yet another Dumas adaptation that entices the teen girls and appeals to the middlin’ old. While it had a decent box office, many felt that it’s undeserved bump came from being a de-facto B-feature to Titanic’s 4th month in theaters.
Looking back on the film after two decades, that doesn’t feel fair. Then, you rewatch the movie and see that despite a great cast…nothing happens. One is a turncoat bastard, the other is mourning his son. Then, there’s Gerard Depardieu! It’s before he became a creepy Francophile Weinstein type. You can look back and enjoy him as the chubby Frenchman who was always good for a laugh.
The real fans will appreciate John Malkovich. It’s not like he brings anything special to the adaptation. However, Malkovich still has the best enunciation of any living actor. I could listen to that man order food at Olive Garden any day of the week. Either way it goes, the film is two hours of the most straight forward adaptation that you could expect. While typical of MGM output throughout the 90s, I don’t see it winning over modern viewers.
MAN IN THE IRON MASK SPECIAL FEATURES
- NEW 4K Scan Of The Original Camera Negative
- NEW Interview With Producer Paul Hitchcock
- NEW Interview With Production Designer Anthony Pratt
- Audio Commentary By Writer/Director Randall Wallace
- “Myth and The Musketeers” Featurette
- “Director’s Take” Featurette
- Original Behind-The-Scenes Featurette
- Alternate Mask Prototypes
- Theatrical trailer
