THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK

This 1998 film starring Leonardo DeCaprio, Jeremy Irons, and other great actors is one I've watched again and again. The Man in the Iron Mask is set during the reign of King Louis XIV, when the poor were starving and the rich didn't care.

Louis supposedly had an identical twin brother, Phillippe, who was relegated to a dungeon and forced to wear an iron mask to hide his identity. Even he didn't realize he was brother to the king because he had been taken away at birth to avoid any rivalry between himself and his brother, who was heir to the throne.

This is a classic tale and worth watching, even though it is rated PG-13 because of the violence and brief sensuality, plus a naked behind of Gerard Depardieu. It shows us familiar Muskateers Aramis, Pothos, Athos, and D'Artagnan, going across the French real estate flipping knives and swords into their enemies as the plot climaxes. I love the action and the semi-historical setting.