Truly Dreadful Film

To me, this movie is perfection.

Memorable, crazy movie

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

It's a remarkable movie about Middle Ages because around a witty script, we have a condensed mix of the autumn of this period: violence between men (battle) and women (rape), poor health (black plague, births mortality) and a clash between old faith & new scientific experimentation.. The cast is really good with another solid, physical performance from Haueur and a pragmatic and strong willed young Jennifer who shows tons of wisdom to stay alive… The locations, the costumes are beautiful and as often with Verhoeven, we see everything, either beautiful or disgusting… At the end, the movie is much better than medieval ones inspired (like Willow for example for the castle assault) and this director is really among my favorites! In addition the french edition got a interview with him in which he really exposes what he wanted to do… It was an essential bonus for me all the more than with all this violence and nudity, I wondered why he wanted to do a Jesus movie: he answers my question: because he is fond of history and because the gospels are the biggest historical lie ever (his opinion).

In this tale told by Paul Verhoeven and written by Gerard Soeteman, we follow a group of medieval mercenaries who get double-crossed by their commanding officer, which leads them down a path of revenge, crime and bloodshed. Essentially it's a Robin Hood story, or an underdog tale, but with no punches pulled and with a taste for the gore and splatter. Verhoeven is most known for his dark scifi action films, like Total Recall and RoboCop, but this film is very much his creation when it comes to the style.And I have to admit that I like it a lot. Verhoeven's signature style is all over the screen with this one and it just might be one of the most brutal medieval adventure films I've ever seen. No one comes out of this film unscathed and it's such a jaded film that it's even hard to pick sides. The mercenaries are justified in their lust for revenge, but they also end up kidnapping the bride of the son of their betrayer and abusing her in very dark ways. On the other hand the bride is not a saint either, and very much not a damsel in distress, being willing to do whatever it takes to survive. Whereas the son of the betrayer, the groom as it may be, is perhaps the most virtuous of the whole cast, but even he has his dark tendencies.And it's just a great adventure film in its own right. The setting is great, the characters are all shades of awesome, the action scenes are just the right amount of over the top and the whole film has this unmistakable style of the 80s. Blood and gore, smoke and shadows.Very much worth a watch for all fans of dark and one of my favourite Verhoeven movies.

This movie is directed by the same man who was responsible for Robocop and Starship Troopers. Paul Verhoeven directed this before coming to Hollywood as his first English movie and is a good indication of what he was to become. Flesh+Blood holds absolutely nothing back when it comes to the medieval customs of rape, murder, and the plague.It stars Rutger Hauer, who is decent, and plays a good enough half villain, half alright guy. Jennifer Jason Leigh kind of wallows with the other B-list actors, but she really does have some parts that shine. It's interesting the things that she goes through in this movie, simply because I can't imagine another actor/actress doing the same. She said while filming her nude scenes in the castle, her feet and hands would turn blue.It's worth seeing if you want a good laugh at the exploitative nature of the medieval times. Try not to take the movie TOO seriously (although at times, that's difficult, mainly some scenes where Leigh's agony is too much to take lightly).

"Flesh and blood" is realistic portrayal of life in middle ages compared to other knight-type movies. It correctly portrays the common folks and noblemen. The only difference is the effects of the plague , but I believe it was done intentionally – from people's points of view in 1501. Don't expect romantic stuff like in other Hollywood movies about that time. Noble king, brave knight , decent citizens , saint princess ? You won't find anything like that in here.That's also the biggest problem with the movie . None of the characters is really likable . Everyone of them is evil one way or another . You could say that they all are anti-heroes . It makes an interesting watch, but it was impossible for me to identify with any of the sides of conflict. The young prince Steven (Tom Burlinson) is probably the closest person to be hero, while Martin (Rutger Hauer) seems to be the villain. Princess Agnes (Jennifer Jason Leigh) isn't a typical love interest , because she is an opportunist . Verhoeven portrays humanity in very negative light . I can agree with him that religion was often used as a tool of propaganda and that kings and aristocrats were rarely as noble as they should be. It doesn't mean that they weren't people who REALLY believed in God and who tried to be decent.The movie is full of violence and shocking images - lovers kissing beneath the hanging corpses is the most symbolic one. It was either done for shock value or maybe the director wants us not to judge people from the past by today standards. By the way – Verhoeven doesn't necessary handle well the action scenes.By the end of movie there is no message really . "Flesh and blood" drowns in a sea of nihilism . The whole movie doesn't really have any resolution. Almost everything in the end is just like in the beginning of the movie. Maybe that's the message from Verhoeven's point of view ? That everyone there (and maybe now) is bastard who cares only about himself? Interesting movie to watch , but doesn't really stays with you since it's empty at heart and doesn't really go anywhere. I give it 6/10.