Sword of War (2009)
"Barbarossa" (original title)

German Emperor Barbarossa will stop at nothing to conquer and build his empire. But a young man from Milan, along with his army of 900 men known as the Company of Death, is prepared to challenge the Emperor.

Director:

Renzo Martinelli

Writers:

Renzo Martinelli (story), Giorgio Schottler (story),

Stars:

Rutger Hauer, Raz Degan, F. Murray Abraham

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rutger Hauer	...	Federico Barbarossa
Raz Degan	...	Alberto da Giussano
F. Murray Abraham	...	Siniscalco Barozzi
Christo Jivkov	...	Gherardo Negro
Antonio Cupo	...	Alberto dell'Orto
Cécile Cassel	...	Beatrice di Borgogna
Kasia Smutniak	...	Eleonora
Ángela Molina	...	Ildegarda di Binden (as Angela Molina)
Elena Bouryka	...	Antonia
Hristo Shopov	...	Rinaldo di Dassel
Federica Martinelli	...	Tessa
Maurizio Tabani	...	Giovanni da Giussano
Riccardo Cicogna	...	Wibaldo
Gian Marco Tavani	...	Lorenzo della Pigna
Robert Baer	...	Alberto as a Child (as Robert Alexander Baer)

Storyline

German Emperor Barbarossa will stop at nothing to conquer and build his empire. But a young man from Milan, along with his army of 900 men known as the Company of Death, is prepared to challenge the Emperor.

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Plot Keywords:

empire | army | violence | warrior | 12th century | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 October 2009 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Sword of War

Filming Locations:

Alba Iulia, Romania

Box Office

Budget:

€9,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Martinelli Film Company International, Rai Fiction, Na-Comm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

139 min 200 min (2 parts) (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

Had potential but missed the mark

It's a shame. The story has potential. Good ol' fashioned right vs wrong. The film looks pretty good: rousing battle scenes, nice costumes, and good looking actors (Rutger Hauer actually makes a striking Emperor Federick I Barbarossa), but the story meanders. I suspect a bit tighter direction could have saved this film. As is, I never developed any strong sympathies for any of the protagonists. In fact, one's sympathies run as much for Frederick as they do the Milanese supposedly fighting for freedom from the empire (repleat with a recurring Braveheart-esquire cry of 'freedom'). I didn't give it a lower rating because at least the film left me thinking about it enough to want to look it up and write a review (and that is significant). Seeing a film like this always makes one wish to see the results from a more seasoned director.