Martin Bourboulon didn’t just make a sequel. He basically set the screen on fire. If you’ve been following the recent French cinematic revival, you know that The Three Musketeers Part 2—officially titled Milady—is a massive pivot from the swashbuckling tropes we grew up with. Gone are the feathered hats and the campy "all for one" shouting matches. Instead, we get mud. We get rain. We get a high-stakes political thriller that feels more like mission impossible with swords than a dusty classroom classic.
Honestly, the pacing is breathless. It picks up right where D’Artagnan left off. Constance Bonacieux is missing. D’Artagnan is desperate. And in the middle of this chaos stands Eva Green’s Milady de Winter. She isn’t just a villain here. She’s a force of nature, a woman navigating a man's world with a blade and a very long memory.
What Actually Happens in the Sequel?
Let’s get the plot straight because it moves fast. This isn't just a retelling; it’s a re-imagining. The story centers on the Siege of La Rochelle. It’s a messy, religious conflict that threatens to tear France apart. King Louis XIII, played with a sort of twitchy brilliance by Louis Garrel, is caught between his duty and his paranoia.
While the first film was an origin story, The Three Musketeers Part 2 is about the consequences of loyalty. D’Artagnan is forced to team up with Milady to save Constance. It’s a "deal with the devil" scenario. You’ve got Athos, Porthos, and Aramis doing their thing, but the emotional core is really the dark history between Athos (Vincent Cassel) and his former wife. It’s heavy. It’s gritty. It makes the 1993 Disney version look like a cartoon.
Bourboulon uses long takes. The camera weaves through trenches and burning buildings. You feel the weight of the steel. When someone gets stabbed in this movie, it’s messy. It’s loud. The sound design is incredible—you can hear the leather creaking and the flintlocks sparking.
Why the Critics Are Obsessed with Eva Green
Eva Green was born for this role. Seriously. Most adaptations treat Milady as a one-note femme fatale. She’s usually just "the evil spy." But in Milady, we see the scars—literally and figuratively. There’s a scene where she discusses her past, and for a second, you almost want her to win. Almost.
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The chemistry between her and François Civil (D’Artagnan) is electric because it’s built on mutual distrust. They’re like two predators circling each other. The film explores her agency in a way Alexandre Dumas probably would have found shocking, but modern audiences will find refreshing. She isn't just a pawn of Cardinal Richelieu. She has her own agenda, and she’s smarter than most of the men in the room.
Comparing the French Vision to Hollywood
Hollywood usually sanitizes these stories. They want clean heroes. But French cinema? They embrace the "gray." In The Three Musketeers Part 2, the Musketeers aren’t always "good." They are soldiers. They do things that are morally questionable for the sake of the Crown.
- Athos (Vincent Cassel): He’s haunted. Cassel plays him with a world-weary exhaustion that anchors the film.
- Porthos (Pio Marmaï): He provides the heart, but even he feels the bite of the war.
- Aramis (Romain Duris): His duality between faith and violence is much more pronounced here.
The production value is insane. They spent 72 million Euros on these two films. They shot them back-to-back. You can see every cent on the screen. The locations—Château de Fontainebleau, Saint-Malo, the streets of Troyes—they’re real. No green-screen fatigue here. That’s probably why it’s sticking with people. It feels tangible.
The Real History Behind the Fiction
Dumas was a genius, but he played fast and loose with the facts. The Siege of La Rochelle (1627–1628) was a real, brutal event. It wasn't just about musketeers running around; it was a massive military operation that saw the city’s population drop from 27,000 to about 5,000.
Cardinal Richelieu actually was a master strategist. He wasn't just a movie villain. He was trying to centralize power in France. The Three Musketeers Part 2 captures that atmosphere of surveillance and dread perfectly. People were terrified of being labeled a traitor. One wrong word and you were headed for the Bastille.
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The film leans into the Protestant vs. Catholic tension. It’s a reminder that the Musketeers weren't just bodyguards; they were at the center of a brewing civil war. Seeing the Duke of Buckingham (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) play his part in the English intervention adds that necessary international flavor. It’s a big story. It’s a messy story.
Common Misconceptions About This Version
A lot of people think this is just another remake. It’s not. It’s the first time in a long time that the French have reclaimed their own literature on this scale.
Some viewers were confused by the ending of the first movie, but Milady clarifies everything. It’s a tighter film. It’s more focused. If you thought the first one was a bit slow in the middle, this one fixes that. It’s a sprint to the finish.
Another mistake? Thinking you can skip the first part. You can't. They are two halves of a whole. If you jump straight into The Three Musketeers Part 2, you’ll be lost in the political intrigue within ten minutes.
Practical Takeaways for Fans
If you’re planning to dive into this duology, there are a few things you should do to get the most out of it.
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First, watch it in the original French with subtitles. The dubbing just doesn't capture the gravitas of Vincent Cassel’s voice. Trust me on this. The cadence of the language is part of the atmosphere.
Second, look up the "Affair of the Diamond Studs." It’s the backbone of the first film’s plot and sets the stage for the stakes in the second. Knowing the historical context of Anne of Austria and her relationship with the Duke of Buckingham makes the political maneuvering much more interesting.
Finally, pay attention to the costumes. Designer Thierry Delettre avoided the "costume party" look. These clothes look lived-in. They’re stained with sweat and dirt. It’s a masterclass in world-building through texture.
What to Do Next
- Watch the 2023 D’Artagnan first. It’s available on most major streaming platforms now.
- Follow the cast on social media. They’ve shared a ton of behind-the-scenes footage of the sword-fighting rehearsals which are genuinely impressive.
- Read the original book. Even if you’ve seen every movie, Dumas’s prose is unbeatable. It’s surprisingly funny and much darker than you’d expect.
- Check out the soundtrack. Guillaume Roussel’s score is a brooding, orchestral masterpiece that works great for deep-focus work or just feeling like you’re on a secret mission.
This duology has set a new standard for period action. It’s a reminder that you don’t need superheroes to have a blockbuster. You just need a great story, a lot of mud, and a few people who are really good with a rapier.