Wellington is preparing for his push into France from Spain. A Spanish partisan leader offers to exchange 52 British deserters he has captured for 50 rifles, a deal Wellington agrees to. Sharpe is given command of the party that will make the exchange. With him is a contingent of provosts, lead by an officer that Sharpe detests. A cousin of Wellington, with her daughter, is looking for her husband who went missing in the vicinity, searching for Aztec treasure.
A bit of departure for the series. While we still have Wellington fighting the French and Sharpe being a part of it this instalment sees Sharpe dealing with a Spanish partisan and his band who all dress like Conquistadors of the 15th century! To compound this seeming step back in time, there's Aztec influences and treasure in the mix too.
A few things don't change: Sharpe has made another enemy within his own army, this time a Provost Lieutenant, Wellington's spymaster has a job for Sharpe and the lads, there's a beautiful woman involved (I'm not complaining, by the way!) and she falls for Sharpe, and vice versa.
Despite the feeling that we'd got an Indiana Jones adventure jammed into a Sharpe film, the plot largely works and isn't too unconventional to ruin the film. It's a decent adventure and quite entertaining.
One negative I forgot to mention: Hagman's breaking into song at every turn is starting to get very irritating!
A bit of departure for the series. While we still have Wellington fighting the French and Sharpe being a part of it this instalment sees Sharpe dealing with a Spanish partisan and his band who all dress like Conquistadors of the 15th century! To compound this seeming step back in time, there's Aztec influences and treasure in the mix too.
A few things don't change: Sharpe has made another enemy within his own army, this time a Provost Lieutenant, Wellington's spymaster has a job for Sharpe and the lads, there's a beautiful woman involved (I'm not complaining, by the way!) and she falls for Sharpe, and vice versa.
Despite the feeling that we'd got an Indiana Jones adventure jammed into a Sharpe film, the plot largely works and isn't too unconventional to ruin the film. It's a decent adventure and quite entertaining.
One negative I forgot to mention: Hagman's breaking into song at every turn is starting to get very irritating!