Flesh+Blood (1985)

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. As the plague and warfare cut a swathe of destruction... See full summary »

Director:

Paul Verhoeven

Writers:

Gerard Soeteman (screenplay), Gerard Soeteman (story),

Stars:

Rutger Hauer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Burlinson

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rutger Hauer	...	Martin
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Agnes
Tom Burlinson	...	Steven
Jack Thompson	...	Hawkwood
Fernando Hilbeck	...	Arnolfini (as Fernando Hillbeck)
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

Storyline

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. As the plague and warfare cut a swathe of destruction throughout the land, the mercenaries hole up in a castle and await their fate.

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Plot Keywords:

mercenary | noble | plague | kidnapping | revenge | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

X

Details

Country:

Spain USA Netherlands

Language:

English Latin

Release Date:

30 August 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Rose and the Sword

Filming Locations:

Belmonte, Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$6,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Riverside Pictures, Impala

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie was greatly inspired by The Wild Bunch (which also dealt with two former allies who become enemies), Vera Cruz and The Crimson Pirate. Suggested titles for the movie were 'The Mercenaries' and 'God's Own Butchers' before settling on 'Flesh + Blood' (which was the title of a recent Roxy Music album at the time).

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in Basil Poledouris: His Life and Music (1997)

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Soundtracks

"Throughout the Years"
Composed by Charles Williams

User Reviews

A Surprisingly Good Film

I decided to watch this film after a very heavy three day drinking session and to be honest was not expecting a great deal. However, at the end I deemed it to be the best two hours of my life. What a film!

The Cardinal (Ronald Lacey) was by far the most outrageous and stand out performance. I may be a bit biased from England but over the top acting from Lacey seems to be his forte and he certainly does not disappoint. Rutger puts in a typically strong performance as does Jason-Leigh and the supporting cast.

My favourite scene had to be Soldier Martin standing in front of the upturned carriage with the wheel representing the halo from the statue of Saint Martin. For me this was the icing on the cake.

The only question mark about this film is the contraption that Steven constructs to storm the castle. It definitely is a work of art and for those times would be considered quite an Engineering achievement. Not to mention the time in which it is built in such an effortless manner. However, PV seems to make this fit with the spirit of the film and after a few chuckles it is all forgiven.

Its certainly a film that will not stand up today with modern attitudes and morals but I fully recommend this film. Add it to your collection NOW!