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Rating:  -
One of the finest representations of the Italian late medieval/early Renaissance period, it has a dramatic script dealing with all the major noteworthy themes of the region and the period; the Plague, city-state warfare, the breakdown of Church authority, the rise of heresy, the resurrection of ancient classical technology, and the collapse of the feudal system and social structure of the time. Dramatically, the central theme is ultimately the quandary of a woman's choice of a mate, whether it be the powerful, experienced older warrior, or the youthful, inexperienced, yet socially 'acceptable' choice of an arranged marriage. Make no mistake, this film pulls no punches, and shows the period in all its brutal reality; definitely not some 'Robin Hood' for kiddies!
Rating:  -
Flesh and Blood (Paul Verhoeven, 1985)
Oh, dear Paul Verhoeven. How is it that you make such crappy movies, and yet somehow, they work? Take this pile of rags, for example. We have a band of mercenaries who have been hired by Hawkwood (Jack Thompson, recently of Attack of the Clones) to retake a town that's been seized by the enemies of its owner, Arnolfini (Fernando Hilbeck). Arnolfini promises the mercenaries the world, but after they retake the town, he strips them of their weapons and loot and kicks them out, much to the disgust and dismay of his son, Stephen (Return to Snowy River's Tom Burlinson). The unofficial leader of the mercenaries, Martin (Rutger Hauer), vows revenge. He gets it rather quickly, when Arnolfini arranges a faux hunting party to introduce Stephen to his future wife Agnes (Jennifer Jason Leigh). The mercenaries happen upon the party, there is a great battle, and they make off with wagons, gold, and various finery-- including Agnes. Stephen, despite his seeming sympathy towards the plight of the mercenaries previously and his aggressively-stated lack of interest in an arranged marriage, vows revenge because, well, he ate a mandrake root with Agnes during the brief time they knew one another. Agnes, on the other hand, seems torn between chivalrous Stephen and cynical Martin.
It's epic and bloody and utterly stupid, and yet it's somehow compelling. The acting is, for the most part, horrendous, the sets are cheap, the script is just plain bad, the special effects vary in quality. But somehow we come to care about (some of) these characters. I think a great deal of it has to do with Rutger Hauer's powerful charisma (despite his rather weak acting abilities, at least in this film); his presence onscreen seems to lend an odd dignity to things, despite his status in this film as something of a lowlife (albeit the leader of the lowlifes). His character is a person who is a lowlife not by choice, as those around him, but by circumstance; after he and his band liberate a castle from its owners, and with the well-born Agnes to show him how to comport himself among the genteel, he eagerly seizes the chance, while the other mercenaries still act like animals. Granted, there's a great deal more that Verhoeven could have done with this subplot, as there's a great deal more he could have done with most of the avenues he peeks down, but doesn't explore, in this movie, but that it's here at all says this wasn't your basic low-budget swords-and-sorcery flick.
It's not a good film, by any means, but it is a very watchable film (not least because Jennifer Jason Leigh spends so much time with so little on in the second half of the movie). Certainly superior to every American film Verhoeven made after Total Recall. Worth checking out. ** ½
Rating: -
This is a fine example of the difference between European sensibilities and American pridery. The director's commentary explains how the American release was sliced up. It's good to see all the stench, filth and cruelty of European society as it really was.
Rating:  -
The only reason I purchased this movie was because I heard Jenifer Jason Leigh was nude in it. I read some of the reviews for this before buying it and it sounded half way decent. But after watching it I came to realize that whoever wrote most of those reviews had to be huge Rutger Hauer fans because this movie sucks. The acting sucks, the direction sucks, the writing sucks. The only good content is Jenifer Jason Leigh's nude scenes, and there are quite a few. This is a great movie to watch on mute.
Rating: -
Any fan of Verhoeven shouldn't miss this film. It's not his best by far but his style is unmistakable throughout. To call this film gratuitous is a gross understatement and it's definitely not for everyone. The casting is like a John Waters movie (Susan Tyrell and Jennifer Jason Leigh, etc, etc.) Parts are really stupid and get ready to suspend some disbelief, but it's very visceral, gross, and really funny. The hottub scene anticipates the pool scene in Showgirls, and listen close for some really funny dialogue throughout. The story kid of meanders and the production overall feels really small, but it's more than made up for in outrageousness. It's like a Breughel painting brought to life with 80s hairdos. If Showgirls is in your collection, you HAVE to buy this.
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