Flesh+Blood (1985)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Paul Verhoeven

Writers:

Gerard Soeteman (screenplay)
Gerard Soeteman (story)

Release Date:

30 August 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama

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:

Mercenary | Castle | Noble | Plague | Revenge

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)
Los señores del acero (Spain)
The Rose and the Sword

Runtime:

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

Country:

Spain | USA | Netherlands

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:R | USA:R (cut) | New Zealand:R16 | USA:Unrated (DVD rating) | USA:X (original rating) | 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:

Factual errors: After drinking from the contaminated well, several characters immediately fall ill from plague. Plague by any vector has an incubation period of at least one day.

Quotes:

Cardinal: Why are you so scared? Everything is predestined. Life runs its own course. Look at this little angel! Saint Martin has sent us a little angel to play with!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004) (TV)

Machiavellian, Violent, Amoral and Hypnotic Adventure in the Middle Ages

In 1501, in the Western Europe, in a period when the black plague is jeopardizing the populations, an army of mercenary peasants leaded by Martin (Rutger Hauer) fights side-by-side with the noble Arnolfini (Fernando Hilbeck) to retrieve his castle, with the promise of a huge reward. However, the band is betrayed by Arnolfini, and decides to pay him back, assaulting and stealing a caravan under the command of Arnolfini and his son and student, Steven (Tom Burlinson). In one of the wagon is traveling the fiancée of Steven, Agnes (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who is accidentally kidnapped and later raped by the group. Agnes becomes Martin's mate, and the mercenaries decide to invade a castle, without knowing that the army of Arnolfini is chasing them.

"Flesh & Blood" is one of the best movies in the Middle Ages I have ever seen: it is a Machiavellian, violent, amoral and hypnotic adventure, indeed very brutal, with the peasants being poor and ignorant people, with dirty clothes, spoiled teeth, living in dirty and muddy villages. Therefore, a vision totally different from Hollywood movies, with fancy castles and villages with beautiful people. The direction of Paul Verhoven is efficient and perfect as usual, and the entire cast has magnificent and very natural performances, highlighting the amazing Rutger Hauer in the role of Martin, and Jennifer Jason Leigh who has one of her best performances, in the stunning role of a young woman that uses her body to fight for survival in a hostile environment. I have this movie on VHS, but I bought the DVD recently released in Brazil by the distributor Continental, and it was a worthwhile investment, since the widescreen image and the sound are excellent. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Conquista Sangrenta" ("Bloody Conquest")