Movie

The Return of the Musketeers (1989)

The third part of an unofficial trilogy, this movie follows on from the 1970s Musketeers films and has the director and most original cast members reunite. The production was overshadowed by the tragic death of Roy Kinnear, who plays hapless servant Planchet, during filming, hence the awkward rear shots of his stand-in and dubbed voice. A pity this entry gets overlooked, since its female villain is terrific.

Justine de Winter is the daughter of Milady and Rochefort, and their offspring is a mistress of deception, complemented by her expertise in swordplay. Add two unmasking scenes and many encounters with her victorious, and the result is a legendary villainess.

Twenty years after the events of The Four Musketeers (covered below), the heroes are washed out. The devious Cardinal Mazarin hires D’Artagnan, the only one still in active service, to reunite his former comrades. He finds them reluctant to join and is at odds with his old friends after an important prisoner escapes. There’s a plot to work with English rebels, and Justine has no qualms about executing royal targets.

Politics is a subplot to her personal vendetta, and despite Rochefort returning from apparent death, there’s no doubt who the main adversary is. By the end, the heroes put aside their differences, travel to England and back, and save the King of France.

Villainess

Justine de Winter (Kim Cattrall)

It takes a while for Justine to make an appearance. Disguised as a priest, she sets a trap for the headsman and confronts him with his own axe. Anyone who noticed Kim Cattrall in the credits will see through the deep voice and cloaked figure, but it’s reasonably effective.

Athos’ son Raoul (C. Thomas Howell) has a chance encounter with the assassin and chases them into the forest. He clashes blades with the fake priest and fences well until he knocks off the killer’s hat to reveal a beautiful blonde woman. Faced with a female adversary, he’s disarmed by her. Justine is after the musketeers who executed her mother and sees an opportunity after she learns who Raoul’s father is.

It isn’t too long before Justine confronts the heroes in a red cloak. Like her mother, this female assassin has a fondness for glass weapons, though she uses crossbow bolts instead of daggers. The musketeers are reluctant to fight a woman, but ditch their chivalry when they realise she can take all four at once without even any support. The villainess uses scaffolding to escape and nearly gets shot in the back until Raoul gets all noble and saves her. What happens next is on you, hero.

Distracted enough to fail, the musketeers are employed by the Queen to save King Charles I of England. Historians will know how that turns out, though probably not that the musketeers almost saved him by sidelining the headsman. Almost since the masked Justine takes over as the king slayer. An action that leaves Raoul and Rochefort shocked, but one the villainess acts casual about.

The musketeers track Justine to her hideout, which is full of traps she uses to turn the tables. A slapstick combat sequence typical of the series, with the hopeless heroes beaten many times by the agile and clever opponent. Justine escapes on a ship heading back to France. The musketeers get wise and use indirect methods to blow up the vessel and defeat Rochefort. His daughter has main villain immunity and comes away relatively unscathed.

Justine uses guile and beauty to kidnap the young King of France. The last fight takes place in a castle, with the musketeers launching a rescue attempt by balloon. This fools the inept guards, but Justine realises the threat and dons her leathers for the grand finale. In the chaotic climax, the villainess is a worthy match for D’Artagnan and his companions, though their actions force Justine to take the King hostage.

The musketeers save the boy, but Justine escapes by leaping down to a moat. Having had enough of her for one lifetime, the heroes let her ride off into the sunset.

Honourable Mentions: Three Musketeers

The classic Alexandre Dumas novel has been adapted for film many times, with various actresses starring as the villainous Milady de Winter. As one of the most rebooted tales in cinema history, there are far too many to discuss, and honourable mentions are restricted to the 1970s onwards.

The Three Musketeers (1973) – Milady de Winter (Faye Dunaway)

The first two films in the Richard Lester trilogy were shot back-to-back, with the novel adaptation split into two parts. Most humour is slapstick, and might become tiresome depending on taste. The swordplay is light enough on violence to receive a universal rating in the UK.

Milady is mostly absent from this half, and only becomes important when the dastardly cardinal hires her to seduce an English duke and steal diamonds. This is a plot to undermine the King of France, and Milady takes a back seat to Richelieu and Rochefort in the villain stakes. Once the usual story elements – such as D’Artagnan fulfilling his dream to join the Musketeers – have played out, the bumbling heroes confront their enemies.

There’s time for a comical fight between Milady and the Queen’s dressmaker Constance, but don’t get too excited. The two women chase around furniture and use whatever items are available, while the men do the real fighting elsewhere.

The Four Musketeers (1974) – Milady de Winter (Faye Dunaway)

Faye Dunaway returns in a larger role, out for revenge against the heroes for foiling her scheme. There’s a subplot about French rebels besieging La Rochelle and Richelieu using the conflict for his own ends, but the main story is the four musketeers dealing with the villainess and her lover.

Milady’s romance with Athos comes into play, revealing her murderous past. When her initial plan to seduce D’Artagnan fails – after he overhears her wicked scheme – she attacks him. The assassin is a capable sword fighter despite the hindrance of her long dress, and her poisoned glass daggers are deadly. D’Artagnan escapes, but we get a welcome action scene for the female villain.

Richelieu sends Milady to murder the English Duke, but she is captured by savages before she completes her mission. Imprisoned in the Tower of London, she charms a dim-witted sentry into releasing her and even convinces him to kill the Duke. Constance escapes a bumbling male assassin. But it’s all for nothing, since Milady disguises herself as a nun, infiltrates a convent, and strangles Constance with a rosary.

The murder enrages D’Artagnan enough that he agrees to a unanimous vote to behead the killer. Though seen at a distance, the ending is dark in tone. With the villainess dead, the stage is set for her daughter’s revenge twenty years later.

The Three Musketeers (1993) – Milady de Winter (Rebecca De Mornay)

Receiving the “and” credit usually means a brief role, and we pass the half-hour mark before the villainess makes an appearance. This is light-hearted family fare, but more serious than the Lester version. Plenty of adventure and sword fights, and Tim Curry hams it up as Cardinal Richelieu, the chief baddie plotting to assassinate the King.

Milady is a spy, and a beautiful and dangerous seductress, though sadly underused. Besides threatening Richelieu with a dagger and confronting Athos about their past, Milady plays no part in the evil scheme. The master spy is intercepted before she leaves France after a tame encounter. After that, she repents and commits suicide. Dreadful stuff for such a key character.

The Three Musketeers (2011) – Milady de Winter (Milla Jovovich)

Adapted for the video game era, the title heroes are now secret agents with multi-bladed daggers, and Milady is a double-crossing acrobatic beauty. The opening sequence plays out like an Assassin’s Creed mission, as the hooded Aramis breaks into Leonardo da Vinci’s vault to steal plans for a war machine.

Except for basic plot elements, the steampunk story bears no resemblance to the source material. This is a loud action tale, with one against many fights, giant explosions and ridiculous set pieces. Picture a raid on the Tower of London and a sky battle between two airships. That means sea vessels on balloons, by the way.

Milady is a physical foe, capable of duelling armed guards in a 17th-century dress. Besides the usual seduction and villainy, she imitates Indiana Jones by sliding through a trapped hallway. This sequence has Jovovich do her Resident Evil thing. After dealing with the rooftop sentries, the thief descends on a harness to the Queen’s private quarters. Then she somersaults through a string-based security system. They didn’t have laser beams back then, but who cares?

After such a badass setup, one hopes for an epic fight with the musketeers. That never comes, and Milady is captured and defeated too easily. She also commits suicide. Or so it seems, because she survives a long drop to the ocean and returns for the last scene to set up a nonexistent sequel.