anishFlesh Blood : Paul Verhoeven Movie Review
July 29th 2011 17:07
One of Paul Verhoeven's very few epic war movies, Flesh Blood is the ultimate
showcase for all things Verhoeven (read: graphic sex and violence) and is considered to be one the finest of the many war epics to come out of Hollywood in the 80s following the success of Conan the Barbarian.
Story of Flesh Blood
Paul Verhoeven's Flesh Blood tells the story of the care-free lifestyle of a group of skilled mercenary soldiers and how their greed become lords and ladies brings about their downfall.
When the mercenaries, lead by their fearless and well respected captain
Martin (Rutger Hauer) is duped after fighting a war for a nobleman, Arnolfini (Fernando Hilbeck), they vow to take revenge and lady luck shines upon them when they manage to waylay a richly loaded caravan which (quite unexpectedly) also carried Agnes (Jennifer Jason Leigh), the beautiful fiance of Steven, Arnolfini's son.
But, while the mercenaries, in their usual wasteful and uncivilized way manages to ruin and discard all the expensive clothes and ornaments, Martin develops an instant attraction towards Agnes and gradually falls in love with the feisty beauty to the point that he decides and almost forces his faithful colleagues to capture a castle, settle down and marry Agnes (who has also apparently fallen in love with Martin, who has much in common with her fiance Steven) as the lady of the castle.
But, just as things start to fall nicely into place for Marin (who has by this time claimed divine rights), Fate strikes him a cruel blow as Steven out of the blue to reclaim his bride.
Review of Flesh Blood
Flesh Blood is Verhoeven's first Hollywood movie and you can easily spot the untoned, raw filmmaking which is so characteristic of European movies and lacking in Hollywood. It is also one of the most celebrated of Verhoeven's Hollywood efforts, many of which were drubbed "disastrous" by the critics despite enjoying massive cult followings (most notably Showgilrs).
The opening battle scene is considered to be a classic as is the performance
of Rutger Hauer and as expected his depiction of the carefree and abusive mercenary lifestyle is absolutely superb. However, the thing that fascinated me the most about Flesh Blood but sadly lacks mention in most critic reviews is the subtle portrayal of the complex character of Agnes and it is very hard to saw which of Martin and Steven she favors more, or whether she just wants to sit on the fence and support who ever seems to be winning.
Be warned, Paul Verhoeven's Flesh Blood is not for the faint of heart and it is not meant to be aesthetic, it is disturbing and brutal to the senses and immensely enjoyable because of it!
Story of Flesh Blood
Paul Verhoeven's Flesh Blood tells the story of the care-free lifestyle of a group of skilled mercenary soldiers and how their greed become lords and ladies brings about their downfall.
When the mercenaries, lead by their fearless and well respected captain
But, while the mercenaries, in their usual wasteful and uncivilized way manages to ruin and discard all the expensive clothes and ornaments, Martin develops an instant attraction towards Agnes and gradually falls in love with the feisty beauty to the point that he decides and almost forces his faithful colleagues to capture a castle, settle down and marry Agnes (who has also apparently fallen in love with Martin, who has much in common with her fiance Steven) as the lady of the castle.
But, just as things start to fall nicely into place for Marin (who has by this time claimed divine rights), Fate strikes him a cruel blow as Steven out of the blue to reclaim his bride.
Review of Flesh Blood
Flesh Blood is Verhoeven's first Hollywood movie and you can easily spot the untoned, raw filmmaking which is so characteristic of European movies and lacking in Hollywood. It is also one of the most celebrated of Verhoeven's Hollywood efforts, many of which were drubbed "disastrous" by the critics despite enjoying massive cult followings (most notably Showgilrs).
The opening battle scene is considered to be a classic as is the performance
Be warned, Paul Verhoeven's Flesh Blood is not for the faint of heart and it is not meant to be aesthetic, it is disturbing and brutal to the senses and immensely enjoyable because of it!
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