Louis XIV, who was king during the late 1600's, and Phillippe, Louis' twin brother. The Man in the Iron Mask 2 Stars At Briarwood and Showcase Louis, a young and arrogant ruler who is doted on by all who surround him, isn't much of a stretch for DiCaprio. He prances around his palace, giving orders to all those who surround him and lets out an occasional screech when someone gets out of line. The people in his city are starving, yet all he remains interested in is who will be the next maiden to slip into his bed. A group of retired musketeers who have moved onto other things don't think so and decide to take action against the ruler.
Irons does an acceptable job as the ringleader of the group but never has any memorable scenes.
Malkovich stands out among the three, turning in his usual intense and commanding performance. The only other notable actor in the film is Gabriel Byrne as d'Artagnan, the Captain of the Musketeers and advise to the king. Throughout the film, this character is torn between his allegiance to the cruel king and his fellow musketeers. The plot is fairly simple except for a few curves involving the parental relationships between several of the characters. Unfortunately, the movie's biggest twist, which deals with the identity of the character behind the iron mask, has been made clear through the press and advertising surrounding the film.