I recently was able to find these films on DVD(it was difficult). I remember TBS used to show them during the summer months when I was a kid. And I absolutely loved them. I was wondering if they held up, and I was rewarded thankfully. These are easily some of the funniest movies I've ever seen. The non-stop situational comedy and one-liners had us rolling for 4 hours. It's almost like a Monty Python vehicle at times. The silliness and slap-stick is almost too much to bare. And it's not predictable comedy either, because much of it is rapid fire so you never know where it's going to come from next. The part where they pretend to get in a fight with each other at the inn so they can underhandedly steal all the food, because Porthos lost all of their money betting on a homeless person fight, is just pure genius.
Rachel Welch was so great in this movie as Constance, D'Artaganian's married girlfriend. Take Jar Jar Binks and his nack for saving the day with pure, chaotic, unpredictable clumsiness. Now make him a really cute French girl, and you have Constance. Her comedic timing was so good in this film, I can't believe she wasn't in more comedy roles. But Oliver Reed's portrayal of Athos just has to be seen to be believed. He's so scary-intense in this film he'll give you shivers. He's like a damn rotweiler. He's always aggressive, always on the attack. His fighting style is less finese and more brawler. He'll take some swings with his sword, then get pissed off that he missed, take the sword by the blade and try beating his enemy to death with it. And when that doesn't work he'll throw it at his enemy, then pick up the nearest random object(chair, wet towel, you name it) and then try to beat his enemy to death with it. I would have loved to have seen him fight like this when he played Proximo in Gladiator. He would have made everyone forget about Russell Crowe.
Because this is what makes these movies awesome: The fights. These are not Earol Flynn back-and-forth dashing duels. They're slap-stick, nasty, in-your-face, brawls where kicking, hitting, bitting, and cheating like a wrestling villain is par for the course. You never know what's going to happen in a fight in these movies or where they're going to occur at.
And it's quite faithful to the book as well, surprisingly. They cut out a few things(Lord DeWinter, Feltcher is barely given any development) but overall it's pretty faithful. The second movie is much more serious in tone then the first, but that's not a bad thing as the stakes are higher and the cost at the end is severe. And Athos and Micheal York as D'Artagnan really shine here by adding surprising depth and intesity to, what was at first, a silly little romp. Faye Dunaway is so chillingly evil and twisted as Milady DeWinter. None of this Disneyfied tragic character crap. When she finally gets hers, it's seen as less of a punishment killing and more of a duty to hummanity, as brutal as that scene is.
They did a third one in 1989 as a TV movie. It's not bad. It's entertaining. But they change many things from "20 Years After" and the ending is very unsatisfying.
My favorite lines:
"BREAD! RUN AWAY! IT'S GOING TO EXPLODE!"
"I don't get it. Why does it matter that we do mass in Latin and The Rebels do it in French?"
"Of course it matters. That's what religious wars are all about!"
"You're quite remarkable. I've heard remarks about it."
Eat your heart out Disney. This is still one of the best action-comedies I've ever seen. Anyone else like, or remember, this movie?
Rachel Welch was so great in this movie as Constance, D'Artaganian's married girlfriend. Take Jar Jar Binks and his nack for saving the day with pure, chaotic, unpredictable clumsiness. Now make him a really cute French girl, and you have Constance. Her comedic timing was so good in this film, I can't believe she wasn't in more comedy roles. But Oliver Reed's portrayal of Athos just has to be seen to be believed. He's so scary-intense in this film he'll give you shivers. He's like a damn rotweiler. He's always aggressive, always on the attack. His fighting style is less finese and more brawler. He'll take some swings with his sword, then get pissed off that he missed, take the sword by the blade and try beating his enemy to death with it. And when that doesn't work he'll throw it at his enemy, then pick up the nearest random object(chair, wet towel, you name it) and then try to beat his enemy to death with it. I would have loved to have seen him fight like this when he played Proximo in Gladiator. He would have made everyone forget about Russell Crowe.
Because this is what makes these movies awesome: The fights. These are not Earol Flynn back-and-forth dashing duels. They're slap-stick, nasty, in-your-face, brawls where kicking, hitting, bitting, and cheating like a wrestling villain is par for the course. You never know what's going to happen in a fight in these movies or where they're going to occur at.
And it's quite faithful to the book as well, surprisingly. They cut out a few things(Lord DeWinter, Feltcher is barely given any development) but overall it's pretty faithful. The second movie is much more serious in tone then the first, but that's not a bad thing as the stakes are higher and the cost at the end is severe. And Athos and Micheal York as D'Artagnan really shine here by adding surprising depth and intesity to, what was at first, a silly little romp. Faye Dunaway is so chillingly evil and twisted as Milady DeWinter. None of this Disneyfied tragic character crap. When she finally gets hers, it's seen as less of a punishment killing and more of a duty to hummanity, as brutal as that scene is.
They did a third one in 1989 as a TV movie. It's not bad. It's entertaining. But they change many things from "20 Years After" and the ending is very unsatisfying.
My favorite lines:
"BREAD! RUN AWAY! IT'S GOING TO EXPLODE!"
"I don't get it. Why does it matter that we do mass in Latin and The Rebels do it in French?"
"Of course it matters. That's what religious wars are all about!"
"You're quite remarkable. I've heard remarks about it."
Eat your heart out Disney. This is still one of the best action-comedies I've ever seen. Anyone else like, or remember, this movie?
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