Sharpe goes to India to save a friend, the purpose of which, in addition to saving the friend, is to provide information that will thwart a rebellion. Once he gets there, he meets the friend, still alive, and they join forces. Here, you have to forget that his friend has the knowledge to prevent the rebellion. While they join up, the General's daughter has been abducted while the column she was traveling with is massacred (sounds suspiciously like Last of the Mohicans) And guess what, Hawkeye--eh, Sharpe--sets off to rescue her. Of course, there is a villain along the way, a British turncoat worthy of Basil Rathbone. But unlike Hawkeye, who defends the settler's fort, Sharpe infiltrates the enemy's fort to both rescue the damsel in distress and to turn the tide of battle when the British attack the rebels. He does both, and dispatches the villain as well. It in turns incorporates every cliché you can find in Gunga Din, Lives of a Bengal Lancer, Robin Hood, and, eh, Sharpe's Whatever.
But it's good fun as long as you realize it doesn't contain a shred of historical accuracy.
But it's good fun as long as you realize it doesn't contain a shred of historical accuracy.