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Sharpe's Sword (1995) (TV)

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Sharpe's best since Enemy, 5 July 2004

Author: unbend_5440 from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Sharpe's Sword is one of the more complicated stories. There's a French officer changing identities to hide the fact that he's actually a Colonel named Leroux who has been sent to assassinate a mysterious British agent named El Mirador. Confused yet? Meanwhile, Sharpe also rescues a young woman who doesn't speak, so she is given the name Lass, and despite Sharpe's efforts to pawn her off, Lass continues to stick to Sharpe like glue, even sleeping in his tent at night. There's a hidden code, traitors, spies, Priests, and a subplot of Harper being forced to marry Ramona, the mother of his child. The story is even more complicated than that, but this is all I'll say.

The story takes some big leaps this time, revolving around the possible death of Sharpe. Even though for a lot of the movie they're not in contact, Sharpe and Harper have a great dynamic between them. While in the past the loyalty between the two of them was always there, this movie gives some insight into their relationship. Unlike some other reviewers, I didn't mind the character of Lass. Of course she's not as good as La Marquesa, but come on, La Marquesa was the best female character the series ever had. And considering Lass only speaks a few words during the entire movie, her character was still better developed than several other female characters in the series. I have to say that the real treat of Sharpe's Sword is the unexpected return of Simmerson, the original pompous, bumbling, fool of a British Officer. I believe Henry Simmerson to be one of the reasons why Sharpe's Eagle was so popular, and next to only Obadiah Hakeswill, Simmerson is the best villain this series had. The scene between him and Lass is the best example of why he's so good. Sir Henry Simmerson is a character who is so disgustingly vile that I almost wish they'd given him his own spinoff series. There's also the addition of Spears to the cast. The one scene where Sharpe confronts him is one of the strongest points of the movie. It's not often that an actor can upstage Sean Bean, but James Purefoy did it. Great dramatic writing in that scene, and great dramatic writing all around. Sharpe's Sword was the first script Eoghan Harris had done since Sharpe's Enemy, my favorite movie of the series. There's something about the scripts that Eoghan Harris writes that completely captures the adventure and excitement. As always, there are multiple showdowns that end in swordfights. First there's the fight between Simmerson and the character who is eventually revealed to be El Mirador. I love taking pleasure in viewing Simmerson in pain and agony. Like I said before, disgusting villain, brilliant character. I'll go as far as to say that the best fight scene of the entire Sharpe series is the one between Sharpe and Leroux. What makes it work is that both men are badly beaten and in serious pain the whole time. The fact that they can barely stand on their feet brings some urgency to the fight. The real showdown of the movie is between Harper and the Priest. Sure, they don't fight, but it's a very funny scene that perfectly ends the movie on the right note. Sharpe's Sword is definitely the best movie since Sharpe's Enemy, and one of the very best of the series.

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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
A bit off, but still good., 7 November 2004

Author: Izzy Richardson from Birmingham, England

Sharpe's Sword has three main faults.

1. The dialogue. Not as good as in some of the others. Unrealistic at times, even leaning towards slapstick. The scene where Sharpe is being briefed by Munro is funny, but not in line with the more strained relationship we see in Sharpe's Battle. Equally, Pat's relationship with Sharpe seems inconsistent.

2. The woman. OK, I've got used to a lot of other women lusting after Sean Bean by now, but this one is oh-so-annoying. The only time she's good is when she rejects Sir Henry Simmerson's disgusting offer so well, but other than that I find her infuriating. She just mopes around, whimpering, feeling sorry for herself and trying to get Sharpe to fall in love with her, which thankfully he does not.

3. The bad guy. By this I mean the Frenchie, not Sir Henry. You see a lot of him pretending to be good, but not much of him actually being bad; he's not a figure I ended up hating all that much. There was good swordplay in the last fight scene, and the injuries of both him and Sharpe added excitement and desperation, but it wasn't as intense as, say, the priest's encounter with Simmerson.

The good things were the priest (naturally), and Sean Bean's all-redeeming presence. Watch it, by all means, but it isn't the best. 7 out of 10. Ko, Izzy.

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1 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
got to agree with you, Harmster!, 1 March 2004
Author: katiepoppycat from Leeds, West Yorkshire

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

**SPOILER**

I haven't yet seen them all, but this one disappointed me, despite the unexpected bonus of James Purefoy. The book is vastly superior to the adaptation. It's not for the lack of trying on the actor's parts, Bean and company are as reliable as ever, but the story really suffers from the absence of La Marquesa, and the addition of Lass. Surely he would have asked her name - either of Curtis, or when she actually starts speaking again. One of the strongest aspects of the book is the bond between Sharpe and Harper, demonstrated in Harper's care for the wounded Sharpe and the sword that he lovingly restores for him. In the film, they seem to just skip over it. And why is Harper's woman called Ramona? What was wrong with Isabella? That said, there were some great moments in this film, Lass's rebuttal of Simmerson, and the moment where Curtis tricks Harper into marriage are pretty good. And although i love James Purefoy, he didn't really do Spears justice, although his character had been pretty well butchered by the time he got to it.

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0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the best..., 24 April 2006

Author: bengad from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This is, by and large, one of the best Sharpe films. Richard (Sean Bean) is between wives, so he's free to romp about looking for other women and get busy. Surprisingly enough, he doesn't. In fact, this is, to say the least, one of Sharpe's most noble hours. Of the remaining riflemen, Harris, is given a surprising and delightful role. Sharpe's life is threatened, and Harper and his wife show a lot of emotion and care for the Major. Sharpe's Sword is also one of the last movies that's solidly great in the Sharpe series (Regiment and Mission are good, Justice is okay, haven't seen Waterloo yet). You've got a larger, climatic finish, with (budget in mind) a big fight scene, a good Sharpe vs Frenchmen sword fight, and an awesome sword fight, where Simmerson gets owned by a supposed pacifist. What more could you ask for?

If you're trying to prioritize on which Sharpe DVDs you should purchase, or looking to borrow from a Library or friend, this is one of the best.

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0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Sharpe series favorite, 21 January 2006

Author: qwer80 from United States

I totally agree with the in-depth review already submitted. This episode of the Sharpe series is my all-time favorite and the character of Lord Jack and the performance by James Purefoy have become a must -see every few months or so! I own all fourteen of the Sharpe series and annually play them in sequence. James Purefoy's portrayal of the tragic figure of Lord Jack and the tension-fraught scene in the library are worthy of any first-line production in the theater. You can tell I am a huge Sharpe fan (Sean Bean being the ultimate action hero of all time!) and I really feel sorry for people who have missed this engrossing and intelligently researched and produced series! Bernard Cornwell, author of the novels from which Sharpe is taken, is an outstanding writer and I recommend his other works to all. If you are a reader, try one of his many engrossing historical novels.

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0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
better if not best, 12 July 2005

Author: playadr from Mexico

i loved the books, but found the character of Sean Bean gives a great visual of the hard nosed sharp, not putting up with anything, angry and bitter, he does it great. the video series is of course a low budget show, but i think they did their best during this time to reveal some great historical events. my only disappointment is now that i live in Mexico i want to share this series with everybody i know, but i cant find the video series or DVD with Spanish subtitles. it viewed once here in Mexico on cable, either wit BBC or HALLMARK, i cant remember now, so i know it must exist somewhere, if anybody knows how i can get the series with subtitles so i can share it with a Spanish speaking nation, please let me know, its funny most of the series is in Spain, and where are the Spanish subtitles?

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4 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Actually, I like it!, 26 July 2004

Author: sammy from england

I admit the book is better than the film, but I seem to have the unique ability to separate books and films completely, and enjoy them (or not) for what they are. Because of this, I even enjoyed Troy, although they completely murdered the story... Despite that, it's still a good film... But that's another review.

This one for me has everything, humour, love (and not just the usual, I'm referring in particular to the love displayed by Harper for Sharpe), friendship and action! Not to mention Sean Bean and James Purefoy together in one film... What more could you possibly want!!! (OK, so I admit to being a very shallow individual when it suits me :-p)

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2 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Read the book instead, 24 June 2002
Author: harmster from Hertfordshire England

I read the "Sharpe" books before they were adapted for televison, and although it is difficult to faithfully convey a novel in a two hour TV movie the adapatation of "Sharpe's Sword" disappointed.

As with the other films the backdrop is the Napoleonic War, however the whole point of the story is Richard Sharpe's desire to possess the sword of his deadly foe, and, the bond between Sharpe and Harper. The film totally fails to convey any of the emotions of the two characters; Sharpe and his consuming passion to own the Klingethal and Harper's, when halfway through it appears that Sharpe will die of injuries sustained in a swordfight.

The film becomes just another boys own adventure in the Sharpe series which is fine on one level but totally misses the point of the story

Enjoy the film for what it is but I encourage you to read the book.

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0 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Action, Romance and Two Very Sexy Actors, 12 January 2002
Author: Alice Copeland Brown (alicecbrown@yahoo.com) from Boston

Truly a set of movies for all tastes: as the English fight the French, we see the corruption both in the English military, as well as in the bedroom. Sharpe is pretty sexy as is his Irish right hand man. There is some keen acting in here, despite the soldiers falling too long after the explosion that was supposed to kill them. But the principal actors do an excellent job, especially since this was 'just' made for TV. Prefer Bean as a hero than as the villain, which he plays beautifully well in a James Bond movie. He also looks like an ex-brother-in-law of mine, which makes for some interesting fantasies. My grandsons loved the battle scenes, and of course, the Spanish stripping the skin off the French soldiers made for some interesting discussions.

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