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On October 12th, The Three Musketeers hits Irish screens. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Alexandre Dumas and tells the story of three veteran Musketeers; Porthos, Athos and Aramis who, along with newcomer, the hot headed D’Artagnan, must prevent the villainous Cardinal Richelieu from seizing the French throne. Porthos (Ray Stevenson), Athos (Matthew MacFayden) and Aramis (Luke Evans) are not only three of the greatest fighters of the military branch of the Royal Household, they are truly inseparable friends who live by the motto; ‘One for all, and all for one’.

This great friendship between the Musketeers got us thinking about the most inseparable friends on screen. We are sure that these three new Musketeers (and D’Artagnan) will join this list in the future, but for now, let us present what we believe to be five of the most inseparable friends in movies…

The Narrator and Tyler Durden in Fight Club
OK, so it all goes a little awry for the Narrator (Edward Norton) and Tyler (Brad Pitt) towards the end of Fight Club, but these two are truly inseparable, mainly because Spoiler! one is the delusion of the other. Before all of this happens though, Tyler helps the Narrator to get back on his feet after his apartment is mysteriously blown up, to get into shape and deal with his anger issues through forming the underground fight clubs. We would all like to have a friend like Tyler Durden, wouldn’t we? …Wouldn’t we?!

Shaun and Ed in Shaun of the Dead
Ed and Shaun are truly the best of friends; the live together, one mooches off the other and when Ed is turned into a zombie by the plague of the undead that has taken over England, Shaun keeps his zombified best friend ‘alive’ (dead?) in the shed. That’s proper dedication to your friends right there!

Laurel and Hardy in… Everything
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are one of the most acclaimed double acts of all time. They rose to fame in the 1920s due to their slapstick comedy where Laurel invariably fell over, walked into something and generally embarrassed his pompous friend Hardy through his clumsy, childlike behaviour. The duo went on to make over 100 films together including the Academy Award winning short The Music Box. Most of Laurel and Hardy’s films still survive and the two were friends for life, even though most of their on screen outings involved them bickering or saying their famous (but impatient) catchphrase to each other; ‘Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into!’

Thelma and Louise
Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) decide to escape from their caged and troubled lives, but things soon go wrong when Louise kills a man who was trying to rape her friend. The duo go on the run, but the law eventually corner them at the edge of the Grand Canyon. Rather than be arrested and face prison, Thelma suggests that they keep driving, which they do; over the edge of the cliff. Thelma and Louise is a road movie, but most importantly, it is a buddy movie, which revived the genre and became iconic, all at the same time.

Gordie, Chris, Teddy and Vern in Stand By Me
Gordie, Chris, Teddy and Vern decide to go on a journey to find the body of a local boy who went missing. Their aim is to become local heroes and to see what a dead body actually looks like, but along the way they discover more about themselves and each other. These four buddies share the fact that their childhoods are disturbed in a variety of different ways, but they are devoted to each other. They will stand up for one another and even though they bicker and tease, the roots of their friendship and shared experiences are enough to withstand any slight. Even though the four do not remain as close as they were on the brink of adulthood, their friendship affects them in a way that will influence their entire lives.

Honourable mentions to; Ron Burgundy and his friends in Anchorman; The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Andy Dufresne and Ellis Redding in The Shawshank Redemption and Dorothy, The Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz

The Three Musketeers – which also stars Christoph Waltz as Cardinal Richelieu and Milla Jokovich as Milady – comes to life as never before as Porthoas, Athos, Aramis and D’Artagnan prove that the only way to fight is one for all and all for one!

The Three Musketeers opens in Irish cinemas on October 12th 2011