Rating: 
Summary: Life in the Middle Ages
Review: "Flesh + Blood" stars Rutgar Hauer as a medieval wandering mercenary who wants revenge after his band is betrayed. He and his rag tag team of warriors highjack a caravan of riches, and accidentaly take a noble woman (Jennifer Jason Leigh) with it. After that, they take over a castle. Then they're besiged by the princes's husband to be (Tom Burlingson). "Flesh + Blood" was directed by Paul Verhoeven, and you can kind of tell it's his early work, with it's graphic violence and gore (and it's pretty slick with blood, although not as over the top as "Robocop" or "Starship Trooper") and a sound story and message. It had a lot to say about the uneasy transition from the Dark Ages (as represented by almost everyone in the movie) and the coming Renaissance (as represented by the young prince, he preferes Di Vinci's medicine as oppose to bleeding by leeches). Elsewhere the limits of revenge gets pushed much further than I have seen before. Yes, Martin (Hauer) is pushed too far by being betreyed as he was at the beginning (and he loses his son at birth); and so according to the values this movie sets up, a certain amount of murder and robbery is acceptable. But he takes his vengence out on people that had nothing to do with his banishment. And what he dose and allows to happen to the Leigh character was pretty despicable. But you must remember that is how life was back then; life was cheap, rape was a pretty common spoil of war, and morals were aloft (to say the least). The acting was pretty good. Rutgar Hauer is excellent as the contradictory leader of the band, both his good and evil nature is in the open for everyone to see and judge. This is his best performance since Roy in "Blade Runner", and much more layered than that one was. Jennifer Jason Leigh is a little confusing, and then I figured out what she was doing. Everything she dose, she is just trying to survive. Tom Burlinson also dose really well as the represenitive of the new order of learning and art that is coming (though it's not there yet), but he is also a sucker for old fashioned values like valor and honor. "Flesh + Blood" is a great period piece also; set in Netherlands 1500, it looked very realistic, the costumes, weapons, and the plauges; it was great. Anything negitive? Well, maybe your causal viewer may not like it as much, and it is really hard to find. But that isn't really Paul Verhoeven fault.
Rating: 
Summary: Bloody triangle drama set in the end of the Dark Ages...
Review: A noble lord offers a band of mercenaries to plunder a city for as much as they want after they have conquered the city for him. However, the lord recognizes that the mercenaries are not going to leave anything behind for him so he then traps the mercenaries and tells them that they must drop their weapons and plunder. Disheartened the mercenaries withdraw and later a group of the mercenaries return for revenge. The mercenaries then kidnap the lord's son's fiancé Agnes (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Agnes finds herself confused as she desires Martin (Rutger Hauer), the leader for the mercenaries, who is strong and vicious as he temporarily saves her from the other mercenaries. At the same time she finds herself loving the noble and kind Steven who is on the quest to save his beloved fiancé Agnes. Flesh + Blood is a bloody triangle drama set in the end of the Dark Ages when the bubonic plague is wiping out people like flies. Despite its interesting theme the there are some cinematic elements that causes some awkwardness and bring down the overall cinematic experience to an average level.
Rating:
Summary: Historically accurate? No. Entertaining? Yes.
Review: As a longtime Rutger Hauer fan, I knew I would get around to watching Paul Verhoeven's medieval epic "Flesh + Blood" sooner or later. Thanks to DVD, it's sooner. True Hauer fans appreciate seeing him in anything, which is saying a lot considering the immense number of low budget schlock films he starred in over the last couple of decades. No matter how many times he plays a cranky cop embittered with the march of technology, or a fugitive on the run from justice, we diehards always refuse to change the channel. One reason I appreciate Hauer is that his performance is never anything less than wonderful even in the worst of films. Take a film like "Arctic Blue," for example. It plods with the speed of a snail caught in molasses, looks like the filmmakers used a chainsaw as an editing tool, and boasts a script riddled with cliches. O.k., it isn't that bad, but you get the idea. The only good thing in the entire film is this actor. That's the only reason to watch the film entitled "Arctic Blue." That's the power of Rutger Hauer--with a wave of his hand or a scowl on his face, he can turn a terrible film into something bearable. It's a gift few possess.
"Flesh + Blood" isn't a terrible film. It isn't, I hate to say, a great one either. Verhoeven's film begins by introducing us to a motley band of mercenaries waging war in the employ of a powerful nobleman. This wealthy figure promises the group, led by the charismatic Martin (Rutger Hauer), that he will allow them to loot the city as a reward for defeating the enemy. Sounds like a good idea, right? Lots of pillage and plunder always does a man's heart good. Martin--with Orbec (Bruno Kirby), Karsthans (Brion James), and several other ruffians--sets out to win the war. With the dubious help of the nobleman's inventor son Steven (Tom Burlinson), the fortified city falls in record time. But as Martin and the others attempt to reap their spoils, the nobleman changes his mind and uses his own soldiers to force the mercenaries out of town with nary a coin in their pockets. Although Steven expresses disbelief and disgust that his father would renege on the agreement, other issues soon arise that put the double cross far from his mind. The father arranges a marriage for his son with the beautiful Agnes (Jennifer Jason Leigh), the daughter of another wealthy aristocrat. If at this point you predict that Agnes, Steven, Martin and his band, and the father will have it out in the future, you would be right.
Martin and his band wander through the countryside until they find a statue of a saint buried in the mud. Never one to miss an opportunity to use religion for his own bloodthirsty purposes, Martin convinces the rest of the group that the icon possesses great power to foretell the gang's future. Anytime a compatriot expresses reservations about a proposed action, Martin points to the saint and claims divine sanction for his position as leader. Apparently, the saint approves of the abduction of Agnes and her subsequent defilement because that is exactly what happens. Agnes and Martin end up hitting it off, so much so that she becomes an unofficial member of the mercenary brigade. Steven, unaware that his beloved is in cahoots with a bunch of cutthroats, heads out with his myriad inventions and a force of men to reclaim the young noblewoman. The final segments of "Flesh + Blood" are as ridiculous as they are entertaining, with Steven building a contraption out of wood that can mechanically extend wooden ladders over high walls in order to gain entrance to the fortress where Martin and Agnes are hiding. There is also a rather grotesque scene in which some of Steven's men lob parts of a plague infected dog over the walls of the castle. As we all know, any film about the Middle Ages must involve the plague.
Where to start with this film? I don't know what Verhoeven was thinking when he came up with this offbeat "historical" epic. Should I mention the nun with the head wound who frequently lapses into seizures and gibberish? Or how Steven breaks his chains by channeling lightening? Perhaps I'll mention Agnes's and Steven's most romantic moment, a truly bizarre scene involving professions of love, mandrake roots, and a rotting body hanging from a tree. Of course, nothing stands out more in my mind than the mercenaries traveling around in covered wagons. You'd think they were about to head to Oregon or something. I'm probably being more sarcastic than I intended since I did enjoy the film; it's got plenty of bloody violence to spare, quite explicit situations involving Agnes and Martin, and a truly stirring musical score. "Flesh + Blood" also has an eyeful of Jennifer Jason Leigh, an actress of such talent and charisma that I could spend hours watching her doing laundry while clad in a T-shirt, sweat pants, and flip flops without getting bored. I guess my main problem with the film is that I expected it, for some inexplicable reason, to explore some deep themes. It doesn't. The film is nothing more than an action packed yarn and should be enjoyed as such.
"Flesh + Blood" has quite a reputation with fans who enjoy these types of things. They will probably enjoy the DVD release, which contains a commentary with Paul Verhoeven, a trailer, and a short featurette about creating the music for the film entitled "Composing Flesh + Blood." Verhoeven's little adventure tale is as accurate in its details of sixteenth century Europe as an undergraduate history report, but it is a lot of fun if you just empty your mind and accept it as two hours of pure entertainment.
Rating: 
Summary: About as real as it gets
Review: Flesh + Blood is by far one of the most disturbing films I have ever seen. Modern people allways want to gloss over the "icky" parts of living in the middle ages. Flesh + Blood does NOT.The film is dark, and bloody. People do horrible things to each other. Plague and superstition are rampant. This film shows it all. The portrayal is not made pretty for the sensitive. Instead its made RAW for those who can handle it. This is by FAR my favorite medieval film. If you want make believe, I'd recomend "A Knights Tale". If you want a very close look at live in the 15th century, then Flesh + Blood is it.
Rating:
Summary: Paul Verhoeven's "transition" film
Review: Flesh and Blood can be considered Paul Verhoeven's transition between Holland and Hollywood. This film was his first English-language one and was funded by an American studio (Orion), but was filmed with a largely European crew in Spain. It is interesting to note that the shoot was absolutely miserable, with terrible weather and infighting on the set that caused a years-long rift between Verhoeven and leading man Rutger Hauer. The bad feelings really seem to come through in both the directing and the acting. It was after this movie, having severed ties with his former producer and star, that Verhoeven blew town for Hollywood and filmed Robocop. I've been waiting for this on DVD for a long time, and now MGM has finally announced a February 2004 release for Flesh and Blood. Now if we could only get the Dutch miniseries "Floris" translated to English and released, our Verhoeven collections could be complete!
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite films EVER!
Review: Flesh and Blood is one of the most wonderful films of all times!
I saw it for the first time when I was 8 years old, and it immediately become my favorite! I was longing for this films launch on DvD for a long time!
It is dark, and raw but it has many elements apart from what is apparent. It is actually a love story, surrounded by sin, war, plague and lust; and all these in an incredibly mystical setting and time...Definately reccomend it!
Rating:
Summary: Swashbuckling at its best
Review: I can't recommend this film highly enough. Rutger Hauer plays soldier Martin, a mercenery in the employ of Count Arnolfini who lays siege to a fortified town somewhere in Europe 1520. He and his band are a motley crew including a deranged cardinal of the church who are betrayed by their former paymaster. The film is one of Paul Verhoeven's finest and quite gory but which is nevertheless lifted by moments of great hilarity as when 'the gang' adopt Saint Martin as their patron. All their subsequent 'decisions' are made on the basis of signs received from a statue of the saint that only the cardinal and soldier Martin seem able to comprehend. Add to this the appearance of Jennifer Jason Leigh as Agnes and Steven the count's son, and the story leads you on an adventure involving kidnapping, pillage and frequent killings. The soundtrack by Basil Poledouris who also composed the score for Conan The Barbarian, is simply breathtaking. In the composer's own words Martin is a noble character, despite the courseness his profession would seem to suggest. The music successfully evokes the sense of adventure and swashbuckle that are the hallmarks of a great story. Enjoy the film.
Rating:
Summary: well done but too nasty
Review: I liked this movie very much, except the parts that made me want to vomit. I've never seen a film like it, in that it depicts realism in many ways -- real people in realistic situations. I liked the confrontation between medieval and renassance mindsets. We see that in the way young Stephen thinks differently from everyone else. Sometimes that only gives him trouble fitting in and sometimes it's just what the situation requires, but he is always going solo with his thoughts. I also liked how he put all that aside when it came time to just bear down and get through a life-or-death situation, which he did by both thinking and fighting his way out. Also interesting was Agnes' constant failures to choose which way to go. She wasn't mature enough to know who she is and always wanted to have it both ways, which was the cause of much of the story's conflicts.
It was just too foul and disgusting. Around every corner was a rape or a murder or a dead baby. Paul Verhoven is a talented man with some serious demons in him. I will really be glad to have this movie in my personal favorites when I can do a little editing.
Rating:
Summary: Res ipsa loquitar (The thing speaks for itself)
Review: I saw this movie as a child, I believe I was 9. 10 years later, I still remembered it. It was hard to find it but after some "pain" I bought a used copy on Half.com. I was not disappointed. It is a realistic and an excellent portrayal of survival but survival is only a small part of it... Rutger Hauer is a soldier who in the world of brutality, bloodshed and sadism still managed to retain an unnecessary at that time part of himself, a soul; Paul Verhoeven is THE director capable of creating THE movie in the era of mediocrity and incompetence. In a word, the movie is great but, unfortunately, unfairly ignored.
Rating: 
Summary: the worst acting in a Verhoeven film
Review: I'm generally a fan of Verhoeven's films--SPETTERS, THE 4th MAN, and even the maligned STARSHIP TROOPERS which I felt was a hilarious & sarcastic view of the US Military.
I thought FLESH + BLOOD was going to a treat. Specially since it starred such great actors as Rutger Hauer, Brion James, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Susan Tyrell... What a letdown! Only Brion James played it real. (And Jennifer's last sex scene was brave and realistic)
I have no problem with graphic violence when it makes a point. But I hate it in a cartoon, and this film was a super-violent swashbuckling cartoon with the over-the top external performances one normally sees only in an amateur play. No shadows, no air of mystery-- overlit like a TV soap opera.
The voices seemed dubbed in a studio--unnatural and disembodied, and not fitting into the ambiance of the scenes.
To top it off, the two lead actors' hair was straight out of the 1980's, and Rutger's "White Outfit" looked like it was stolen from Siegfried & Roy's closet. I kept wondering when the white tiger was going to show up.
Laughable plot twists, awful dialogue, anachronistic. Though most of the exteriors of the "castles" did seem authentic to the period, the interiors looked like Hollywood sets from cheap "Erroll Flynn" movies, and to make it worse, from the 17th century.
If you want to see a film which authentically portrays the extreme violence of that era, with brilliant performances and REAL locations, check out Roman Polanski's MACBETH. These actors are so comfortable with Shakespeare that it never sounds like a speech, but conversation.
Verhoeven showed total disrespect for the audience's intelligence on FLESH + BLOOD. AVOID AVOID AVOID.
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