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Summary: Thrilling historically romantic joy ride!
Review: How surprised I was the night I stayed up to watch some series on P.B.S. to see this fun and "over the top" romp! The harsh electric guitar put me off for a bit but now I see it adds to the whole mix of the thing. I hate to seem shallow but the high points for me would be : Sean Bean, the accents, the comraderie, the fights! Did I mention Sean Bean? What a lark! One {well, three, six, nine} of the select movies I had to own.
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Summary: First rate acting - High Adventure
Review: If you like a blend of heroes, villains, victims and hells angels dropped into early 19th century Europe, where spies, sexy women, and a renegade soldier named Sharpe tear up Spain, Portugal and France against a backdrop of revolutionary America, incendiary Irish and mad Scots, you will find it here. Simple, complex, elegant and nasty, it is high drama, with a heavy Darwinian message. Sean Bean makes James Bond look like a woos.
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Summary: Even Bonapartist can apreciate this English centered story
Review: This series started out as a great series of books written by a great author i read every book in Cornwell's series before findding to my delight that they had been put to screen. The castting was excellent and teh actting superb. IF one is interested in Military history at all these movies are great. Especially if you are interested in the Napoleonic and Peninsular wars. I myself am an avid Bonapartist and delighted at the Corsican's victories and conquests to spread the revolution, but even though this series centers on an Englishman it supports those revolutionary ideas of a commoner ascending the ranks.
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Summary: Sean Bean rules in Sharpe's Rifles
Review: Lieutenant Richard Sharpe and his Chosen Men of the 95th Rifles rock in Sharpe's Rifles. This is perhaps the greatest series of war films set in the period of the Napoleonic Wars.
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Summary: On its way to becoming an institution in period drama.
Review: The Sharpe films bring Cornwell's work to life. Bean and O'Malley bring the characters perfectly to life. The great thing is that this is period costume drama that isn't exclusively for the girls; Sharpe marches with Wellington through Portugal and Spain (eventually to Waterloo) and there's plenty of mayhem for the lads. They're films you can watch on a cerebral level, learning about the historical events portrayed (with no more than a little dramatic license). On the other hand, the visceral engagement of the hard life of a nineteenth century soldier means that you can get the boys round with a few beers and cheer Sharpe, Harper and the riflemen of His Majesty's South Essex regiment on as they fell Frenchment left, right and centre. This is a world where the problems are all the sort that can be solved with raw courage and a volley of musket fire. Turn off your jaded modern sensibility and enjoy...
Rating:
Summary: for any viewer of historical movies.
Review: The makers of this series have faithfully adapted the characters from the novels. Sean Bean portrays Richard Sharpe down to the nth degree. Daragh O'Malley as Sergent Patrick Harper is great. All the other characters are here as well. The person who has read the books might find fault with the scale of the production, but not with the effort behind it. Buy the films, read the books.
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Summary: Lt. Richard Sharpe goes on his first mission for Major Hogan
Review: I suppose the idea that Richard Sharpe is sort of Horatio Hornblower on land is apt enough, mainly because both characters have the advantage of stellar British television productions whereas Lucky Jack Aubrey has only the one cinematic adventure to date. But clearly the Napoleonic Wars are the British Empire's answer to the American Civil War without the problematic element of fighting against brother against brother. Napoleon is a secular anti-Christ trying to force the ideals of the French Revolution down the throats of Europe, so no shades of blue and gray here, this is all black and white.
The set up is fairly simple and compelling. One day Sir Arthur Wellesley (David Troughton), early in the career that would see him become the Duke of Wellington, is out for a ride on his horse when French dragoons come after him. Wellesley escapes death through the heroic efforts of Sergeant Richard Sharpe (Sean Bean), who is promoted to lieutenant on the spot by the grateful commander of British forces in Spain. Of course, promoting from the ranks makes Sharpe neither fish nor fowl, with the gentlemen in the officer's office refusing to consider him an equal and the enlisted personal dismissing the idea that he is a "real" officer.
Just to make things interesting Major Hogan (Brian Cox), Wellesley's master spy, sends the new lieutenant off on a secret mission. The story is that the men have not been paid in two weeks, going on three, so the mission is to find a missing banker who has funds (although why the men in the field need money strikes me as odd: after all, we are talking pounds and shillings not Euros). But Sharpe is off to a bad start as he buts heads with sharpshooter Patrick Harper (Daragh O'Malley), the leader of the men, who challenges the new lieutenant's control of his men. Then a wounded Major Blas Vivar (Simon Andreau) has to confide in Sharpe the real nature of the mission.
Based on Bernard Cornwell's first novel in the Sharpe series, "Sharpe's Rifles" has the virtue of strong multiple conflicts. Sharpe has to accomplish his mission and try to earn the respect of his men while that mission becomes more and more complicated. As you would expect, this is a first rate historical drama that has an above average sense of authenticity. Bean's Sharpe is too busy trying to command respect Then we have Teresa (Assumpta Serna), a Spanish lady who has good reason to seek revenge upon the French and another reason for recommending this movie is that the relationship between Teresa and Sharpe is actually an adult one.
The same thing can be said for the relationship between Sharpe and Harper, which is developed properly without any of the cheap shortcuts that can be taken to move things along. The primary quality that Bean brings to the character of Sharpe is the sense of being a real man in real situations, without being overtly heroic. This is a man with a mission and there are other missions to come, not to mention all those books.
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Summary: Finally a Nice Action Movie
Review: I bought this movie on a whim, after reading one of the books. The movie was very nicely paced giving you a chance to catch your breath between action shots. While actually providing you with a since of travel and time passing, by having them camp at night. Too many movies seem to forget the minor details, like that help show the passage of time. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes good action of the Napoleonic Era.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent adventure!
Review: This is a great old fashioned heroic adventure story filmed with a lot of action, color and heart. These characters are wonderful and alive. The costumes, sets and battle scenes are great, especially since this was just a kind of TV movie. I probably don't have to praise the actors to anybody who has read the cast list but here I go anyway. Sean Bean is a great action star as the hero, Richard Sharpe, an officer who has come up through the ranks. Asumpta Serna, as the Spanish guerilla leader and Sharpe's love interest, is beautiful and soulful. Brian Cox, an actor seemingly incapable of anything other than perfection, gives another one of his flawless performances as Wellington's staff intelligence officer. And high praise has to go to Daragh O'Malley as Sergeant Harper. This is grand adventure indeed.
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