Flesh + Blood Review

MPAA Rating: NR
Released: 1985

Anyone familiar with Dutch director Paul Verhoeven's work knows that he doesn't shy away from graphic depictions of violence or nudity. Flesh + Blood, his first American production, exemplifies his gritty, take-no-prisoners style with its medieval tale about a band of rogues that kidnap a princess to get back at the king that betrayed them. In this horrible world of rape, theft, violence and sickness, the lines between hero and villain are erased, and just surviving to see the next day is itself a victory.

King Arnolfini (Fernando Hilbeck) is waging an extended and somewhat ineffective war against a neighboring castle, so in order to help expedite his success he extends an offer to a band of skilled mercenaries that Hawkwood (Jack Thompson), his captain of the guard, hired on his behalf: storm the castle and be rewarded with all the riches they can pillage. With such a juicy offer, Martin (Rutger Hauer), the leader of the mercenaries, leads his men through the castle gates and wins the day for Arnolfini's army.

Having won the castle, the devious Arnolfini orders Captain Hawkwood to strip Martin's mercenaries of all riches and weapons and expel them from the city. Hawkwood objects strongly, as does Steven (Tom Burlinson), Arnolfini's son who has no desire to follow in the footsteps of his dishonorable father. Despite their objections, Arnolfini's will is enforced, and the mercenaries that saved the day are sent penniless and defenseless into the wilds.

Martin and his men make a vow to avenge the king's betrayal by becoming a perpetual thorn in Arnolfini's side. Their first course of action is to disguise themselves as monks and ambush a caravan loaded with weapons, clothes and riches, but little do they know within one of the wagons they hijacked is a young woman named Agnes (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who is betrothed to Steven.

Originally Martin decides that Agnes is to be just another reward for his men, but after raping her she manipulates him into protecting her from his band and keep her as his sole possession. Martin at first refuses to admit to his men that he wishes to protect the woman, but he manipulates the Cardinal's (Ronald Lacey) religious beliefs to distract his men anytime their attentions draw towards Agnes.

Eventually the group of mercenaries storms a castle and takes it as their own, but as they live a gluttonous lifestyle Steven and Arnolfini's army are fast approaching, determined to rescue Agnes and execute the ex-soldiers.

Unlike many medieval-based movies, Flesh + Blood makes no effort to romanticize or whitewash the horrors that people faced in those days. Noblemen battle for control, both through brute force and political backstabbing. Peasants are cruelly dominated by the strong. Women are considered little more than prizes for the victorious invaders. And the bubonic plague is spreading across the land, inflicting a horrible death to the unlucky.

It is within this backdrop that the main characters are placed, and none are really better than their surroundings. Martin is both vile and honorable; Agnes is both a victim and a wicked manipulator; and Steven is offended by the inhumanity he witnesses, though he embraces it when it suits his purpose. Few characters in Flesh + Blood can truly be considered evil, and none can be considered good. As with humanity in general, the characters in this movie are a product of their surroundings that live within a world of shades of gray.

The acting throughout Flesh + Blood is top notch. Rutger Hauer's performance as the roguish and often charming Martin is extremely compelling, while Tom Burlinson lends a realistic persona to Steven as a peaceful intellectual and inventor that is dragged into the horrors of battle. Although composed of mostly unknown actors (many were Australian or Spanish actors), the entire supporting cast meshed with their roles, whether they were violent and gruff or quirky and oddly interesting.

Flesh + Blood is certainly not a film for children – it has some scenes of graphic violence (though not really worse than you would see on most horror flicks) and extensive scenes of nudity and sex. Jennifer Jason Leigh is depicted in her full-frontal glory multiple times throughout the film, and while some of the scenes are designed to be somewhat erotic, others such as her rape are harsh and gritty. Note that Flesh + Blood is offered in two versions: the rated-R cinematic version and the unrated director's cut. While there is nudity in both versions, the director's cut was used for the purpose of this review.

If you are easily offended then Verhoeven's tough medieval epic may not be to your tastes, but if you can accept a hard-hitting look at flawed humans living within evil times, Flesh + Blood will be a demonstrative viewing experience.

Movie rating: 8 stars

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