Flesh+Blood (1985)

Director:

Paul Verhoeven

Writers:

Gerard Soeteman (screenplay)
Gerard Soeteman (story)

Release Date:

30 August 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | War

Tagline:

A timeless adventure, a passion for wealth and power. Only the strongest will survive

Plot:

A band of medieval mercenaries take revenge on a noble lord who decides not to pay them by kidnapping the betrothed of the noble's son...

Plot Keywords:

Bondage | Mandrake | Gang Rape | Love Interest | Female Nudity

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Rutger Hauer	...	Martin
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Agnes
Tom Burlinson	...	Steven
Jack Thompson	...	Hawkwood
Fernando Hilbeck	...	Arnolfini
Susan Tyrrell	...	Celine
Ronald Lacey	...	Cardinal
Brion James	...	Karsthans
John Dennis Johnston	...	Summer
Simón Andreu	...	Miel
Bruno Kirby	...	Orbec
Kitty Courbois	...	Anna
Marina Saura	...	Polly
Hans Veerman	...	Father George
Jake Wood	...	Little John

Also Known As:

Flesh & Blood (USA) (alternative spelling)
Señores del acero, Los (Spain)
The Rose and the Sword

Runtime:

126 min | Netherlands:125 min | Sweden:117 min

Country:

USA | Spain | Netherlands

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:Unrated (DVD rating) | New Zealand:R16 | USA:R (cut) | USA:X (original rating) | Australia:R | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-18 (1986) | France:-12 | Norway:16 (1986) | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | West Germany:18 | Finland:K-16 (video) (1996) | Finland:K-15 (DVD) (2005)

Filming Locations:

Belmonte, Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Company:

Impala

Trivia:

The character named "Hawkwood" was probably named after Sir John Hawkwood (1320-1394) who was an actual historical figure. Hawkwood commanded a band of condottiere, "The White Company", in Italy in the 14th century.

Goofs:

In the opening sequence, the Cardinal is serving communion in 1501. The "Flesh of Christ" he's handing out are modern communion wafers.

Quotes:

[during siege on castle]
Arnolfini: Steven, you stay right here with Father George.
Steven: Why?
Arnolfini: Fighting is for fools.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Blonde Poison: The Making of 'Basic Instinct' (2001) (V)

Good film, if you don't expect the wrong things from it.

This film is definitely off the beaten track. I enjoyed it a lot, and thought that there were some truly stand-out performances here, notably Rutger Hauer and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Some other actors and actresses that I didn't recognize were excellent. The tone is relentlessly bleak as befits the times. A couple of scenes put the times in perspective. One is where Agnes and Stephen talk and flirt beneath the hanging corpses without giving much thought to what we would consider today the horrid nature of such a sight. Another is towards the end, when one of the women has been captured (Polly, I think) and is being raped, and the lord (Stephen's father) simply walks past, barely noticing. I don't know if they are simply there for shock value, or if Verhoeven is making the point that one cannot judge mores, morals, and customs of past ages by the standards of today. (Something done quite a bit these days, most notably about slavery.)

Some of the criticisms in other comments are valid. True, none of the characters are very likeable. I was sort of hoping that they would all be dead by the end of the movie. But, again, I'm judging them by 21st century standards. Also, about the plague. I'm sure Verhoeven knows that plague is spread by rat fleas, so all of the machinations about the plague has to be from people's points of view in 1501-2.

This film is worth viewing, but don't expect gallantry, chivalry, or even decency. And no, it's really not a "date movie" Grade: A