Movie · 1974 · Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama · 1h 47m · PG · English
Curator score: 4.7/10 (19.2K ratings)
What could be better than The Three Musketeers?
Overview
The Four Musketeers defend the queen and her dressmaker from Cardinal Richelieu and Milady de Winter.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.7/10
IMDb: 6.9/10
Letterboxd: 3.41/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 75%
Metacritic: 70
TMDB: 6.5/10
Director
Richard Lester
Production
Film Trust S.A., Este Films, Alexander, Michael and Ilya Salkind Productions, Twickenham Film Studios
Cast
Michael York, Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain, Frank Finlay, Faye Dunaway, Christopher Lee, Raquel Welch, Geraldine Chaplin, Charlton Heston, Roy Kinnear, Simon Ward, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Michael Gothard, Nicole Calfan, Ángel del Pozo, Eduardo Fajardo, Sybil Danning, Gitty Djamal, Jack Watson, Richard Adams
Curator Review
Verdict
A lively, old-school swashbuckler that shifts from the first film’s comic bounce into a darker, more melodramatic second half. The swordplay, ensemble chemistry, and Milady de Winter intrigue make it especially rewarding if you like period adventure with a sly, slightly ragged edge.
Best for
fans of classic adventure films
viewers who enjoy ensemble banter and swordplay
people who liked The Three Musketeers (1973)
audiences open to a tonal mix of comedy and drama
fans of 1970s period spectacle
Skip if
you want a self-contained story without needing the first film
you dislike campy or uneven tonal shifts
you prefer polished modern action choreography
you need a tightly paced, streamlined plot
Overview
The Four Musketeers plays like the darker, more dangerous half of a single sprawling adventure. It keeps the playful, lived-in texture of Richard Lester’s approach, but the mood is sharpened by betrayal, revenge, and Milady de Winter’s lethal glamour. The result is less breezy than its predecessor, but often more gripping.
Worth noting
What stands out most is the ensemble energy: the film understands that swordplay is only part of the appeal, and that the real pleasure is watching these characters bounce off one another while the plot grows increasingly treacherous. Oliver Reed and Faye Dunaway give the movie a harder, more volatile center than the first installment.
Bottom line
It can feel uneven if you expect a pure comedy or a fully serious historical epic. But if you like swashbucklers that are a little rough around the edges, with mud, wit, and genuine menace mixed together, this is an easy recommendation.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Criterion · 165 likes
It may be “all for one and one for all,” but it took director Richard Lester two films to contain the sweeping spectacle of Alexandre Dumas’s swashbuckling adventure. This sequel—shot simultaneously with The Three Musketeers, since they were originally conceived as a single film—dials down the comic high jinks that distinguished the first installment in favor of a more somber tone, as our heroes are drawn into a deadly revenge plot orchestrated by the seductive Milady de Winter (a deliciously… more It may be “all for one and one for all,” but it took director Richard Lester two films to contain the sweeping spectacle of Alexandre Dumas’s swashbuckling adventure. This sequel—shot simultaneously with The Three Musketeers, since they were originally conceived as a single film—dials down the comic high jinks that distinguished the first installment in favor of a more somber tone, as our heroes are drawn into a deadly revenge plot orchestrated by the seductive Milady de Winter (a deliciously… more
Sean Gilman (4★) · 94 likes
I think the two movies play best together, as parts of one 3+ hour movie, which appears to be how they were shot (considering the first one ends with the trailer for the second). My quibble with the first one was that there were so many characters the musketeers themselves kind of got lost. But the second one, focusing partially on Athos's backstory, solves that (no one cares that much about Porthos and Aramis, they're still glossed over). It's Athos's… more I think the two movies play best together, as parts of one 3+ hour movie, which appears to be how they were shot (considering the first one ends with the trailer for the second). My quibble with the first one was that there were so many characters the musketeers themselves kind of got lost. But the second one, focusing partially on Athos's backstory, solves that (no one cares that much about Porthos and Aramis, they're still glossed over). It's Athos's… more
shookone (2.5★) · 87 likes
like a deranged Robert Zemeckis filmed a tattered, bleached Monthy Python script. Oliver Reed gets more screen time than in the first one, so that's a win.
Sam (3.5★) · 78 likes
It's been too long since watching The Three Musketeers last month to watch this follow-up, which was simultaneously shot with the first entry. In all honesty, I didn't enjoy this one as much, and even though shot with The Three Musketeers, it feels completely different tonally and strips some of the whimsical comedy for a more grounded tone. It's a very uneven sequel, and while it has a lesser focus on comedy, it does appear here occasionally, which felt rather… more It's been too long since watching The Three Musketeers last month to watch this follow-up, which was simultaneously shot with the first entry. In all honesty, I didn't enjoy this one as much, and even though shot with The Three Musketeers, it feels completely different tonally and strips some of the whimsical comedy for a more grounded tone. It's a very uneven sequel, and while it has a lesser focus on comedy, it does appear here occasionally, which felt rather… more
Yo_Roboto (3.5★) · 58 likes
Richard Lester: “Alright fellows. We’re doing Three Musketeers, and we’re doing it as a bit of a farce. A little absurdity here, some pratfalls there, really play up the silly Frenchness of it all. Have a laugh with it, you know? Above all, this should be fun for everyone.”
Christopher Lee:“Delightful!”
Michael York:“Good show, old boy!”
Oliver Reed:Truly attempts to murder people in the fight scenes