THE THREE MUSKETEERS: PART II – MILADY

The Three Musketeers: Part II - Milady, Samuel Goldwyn Films

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Review by Mark Dujsik | April 18, 2024

Picking up immediately where its predecessor left us hanging, The Three Musketeers: Part II – Milady brings this reconfigured adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' novel to a rousing and unexpectedly dark conclusion. Director Martin Bourboulon still captures that old-fashioned sense of swashbuckling fun, especially in the early stages of the continuing plot, but by the end, the film forces us to consider if the heroes' adventures have been worth it and if their code of honor might be a greater detriment to those they love than a source of pride for themselves.

Everything and everyone from the first installment return, including those minor changes to the plot of the novel that, here, reveal a more significant shift to the tone and purpose of this story. As the subtitle suggests, Milady (Eva Green) is at the center of that, as the cunning and conniving villain is given a notable focus. In screenwriters Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière finding some understanding of her, the story evolves to match that.

First, though, there's the matter of the Musketeers. When we last left them, Athos (Vincent Cassel) had been pardoned after being framed for murder, while Aramis (Romain Duris) and Porthos (Pio Marmaï) get a little breather after helping to uncover some palace intrigue and to stop an attempt to assassinate King Louis XIII (Louis Garrel). Those last two Musketeers don't have as much to do this time around, but they are involved in the film's most surprising and grimmest gag, as Aramis starts a standoff that takes a couple wrong turns before being pulverized to a halt.

The big cliffhanger, of course, was the fate of D'Artagnan (François Civil), who was knocked unconscious after trying to rescue Constance (Lyna Khoudri), the woman he loves, from being abducted by a mysterious party. In case one's memory needs refreshing, Bourboulon provides a handy recap of the main events from the first entry, although it's immediately telling how little of the central plot, revolving around the romantic complications between the king's wife Anne (Vicky Krieps) and the English Duke of Buckingham (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd), figure into the reminder. This story has other things on its mind.

It's also a bit more straightforward in terms of that plot. Louis has decided to attack the Protestant dissidents, and Cardinal Richelieu (Eric Ruf) still appears to be conspiring against the king's hopes for peace. As a result, the Musketeers are eventually pulled into the battle, while still trying to figure out who's behind the efforts the undermine or kill the king they've sworn to protect with their lives.

Milady is the key to it all, although she's not talking to our protagonists, even after D'Artagnan rescues her from imprisonment and torture when he finally comes to and escapes his own abduction. The film continues Bourboulon's dedication to real action, pulled off by the actors and assorted stunt performers, implementing minimal edits so that we can appreciate the physical effort and the choreography, and ensuring that the swordfights and other acts of derring-do are grounded in realism.

It's regularly impressive and occasionally more than that. After fighting off their captors, for example, D'Artagnan and Milady rush along the outer walls of the fortress where they're being held, and the Musketeer takes a daring leap off the side. The camera tracks him on his run and through the fall into the river below, and while we know there has to be a cut or some kind of in-camera trickery being implemented for that shot to work (unless Civil is as bold, brave, and potentially reckless as his character), the effect is seamless.

Part of the allure of these films is the practicality and tangibility of its components, and the filmmakers are clearly aware of that fact, both in the action and in details that only exist to prove it. Take a couple of shots as king's army marches from Paris to La Rochelle, where the Protestant rebels are headquartered. One is a long shot that observes a man on horseback galloping to catch up with the march, and it seems to exist solely because returning cinematographer Nicolas Bolduc perfectly captured a single ray of sunlight cutting through the frame. With our four protagonists reunited, the camera pulls out far to reveal the whole line of soldiers on foot and horses. It's all the real deal, and Bourboulon announces it whenever he can.

The same goes for the infiltration of a citadel, which leads to a massive skirmish and a kind of reverse siege of cannon fire, as the heroes both refute the idea of a suicide mission and get closer to uncovering the conspiracy. There are answers to that, obviously, after some convoluted revelations (such as why Constance has a long absence from the story) and betrayals.

That's almost secondary, though, to the role Milady has to play in the scheme and in her relationships with two of the Musketeers. The most important element of her character is in how her back story, as well as a justifiable sense of resentment for how this supposedly chivalrous society has treated her (and will treat the one innocent in this mess of backstabbing politics and religious warfare), shifts the whole tone of the story. The performances remain strong, but Green adds layers of pain and anger to the character, making her more than just a coldly calculating villain. After all, she was exploited by, abused by, and, hence, learned from the worst.

In other words, The Three Musketeers: Part II – Milady follows through on its minor subversions of the source material in major and daring ways. The ending might seem to set up a sequel (not another part of this story, mind you, since it definitely concludes), but on its own, the epilogue serves as a haunting reminder of the cost of elevating honor above all else.

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