Flesh & Blood

Old man Verhoeven asks the age-old question: which is more despicable, cheating hard-working mercenaries out of their right to plunder, or raping a noble maiden by the inviting light of a warm campfire? If you look past minor issues such as "super-fast-acting plague" and "pre-fab siege engine," there is something for everyone. Even Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan could learn a lot by studying the uber-romantic scene featuring a tender kiss between star-crossed lovers underneath a disemboweled corpse.

Incredible violent medieval flick about a band of mercenaries led by Rutger Hauer, assisted by 80's b-picture legend Brion James and featuring the delectable Jennifer Jason Leigh prancing around naked for most of her screen-time. At this point in the review you should be checking Netflix or your favourite torrent site. k bye.

Pretty standard plot but it's the characters and the little things in it that make it so enjoyable. There's no noble guys and evil villains here. Everybody's following their own agendas using money, religious brainwashing and vaginas to keep being alive in these harsh times. I also love the fact that the most romantic scene of the film took place under disgusting rotting corpses.

Subverts many medieval flick clichés and boasts a non-stop fun thrill ride full of violence, sex and very interesting themes like the advancement of human kind, the power of sexuality and the role of women during throughout the times.

Blood, mud and full frontal nudity from a scandalously young looking Jennifer Jason Leigh in this awesome and grimy Medieval action flick. The siege engine that Steven builds is absolutely ludicrous, though.

Brutal and incredibly cynical look at medieval politics and human nature that's fairly interesting and very entertaining.

Contains plenty of flesh and blood.

Barmy medieval fun from Verhoeven. The cast is good, and the setting works well, even if the script doesn't flow naturally. Hauer has natural charisma, and it was good to see oddballs like Lacey and James turn up. The tone is unusual - amidst the grime, there were a couple of moments when it seemed to veer into Monty Python territory. All the characters are vile, and there is enough nudity, depravity, weirdness and violence to keep the audience's attention.

Revels in amorality partly in the name of realism, but primarily in the name of "fun." It's Robin Hood for psychosexual sadists.

All the characters are of dubious morality, and that's what makes this such a good film. It makes both the drama and comedy that much more effective and keeps it, mostly, from descending into cheesiness.

An over the top, violent, bawdy medieval revenge flick by Paul Verhoeven. Need I say more?

I saw *Flesh and Blood* years ago, in a movie theater in a small Mexican town. Outside the theater, there was a lurid poster which advertised the film with the words: MORE ACTION! MORE SEX! MORE HISTORY! After I saw the film, I remember thinking that the Spanish-language ad described the film perfectly.

Ugly, foul and often brutal, 'Flesh & Blood' is also unexpectedly sincere, reminding us that, well, the Dark Ages were ugly, foul and often brutal. Still, it has its own sense of humor and more memorable scenes than most recent movies. Some elements have dated, but attention to detail and a rousing Basil Poledouris score will keep you glued to the screen. If you appreciate Verhoeven (and I do I do -clap clap clap), you'll love it. If you despise him, you can stop reading right now.

While everyone enjoys the stories of the old times and chivalry, Verhoven depicts it as a nonstop battle for survival. Both the film and Hauer is passionate in their own way and it hasn't aged much.

It's easy to see why this bombed & many critics didn't like it because there are no real heroes or heroines to be found here, especially not the mercenaries, but I found its refusal to pander to audience's wishes extremely surprising; more realistic; & so, extremely compelling. Though not as well-written, (few things are) it's as if David Chase, show runner of The Sopranos set his sites on heroic fantasies like Conan or GoT. There's also good performances & plenty of violence.

A strange medieval action/drama. Though few to root for, it was compelling throughout.

Enjoyable historic action-adventure movie, which in its day got a reputation for its more realistic depiction of violence in the Dark Ages than the usual romantic swashbuckling adventures. But nowadays the movie is most interesting as an transitional piece in Verhoeven's career. This being a Dutch-US-Spain co-production, it's a precursor for his move from the Netherlands to the US. Of course Verhoeven wouldn't be Verhoeven, if there wasn't a subversive message in this. (2nd viewing)

I thank God movies like this get made. Grisly, nasty, and brutish; FLESH & BLOOD was an expensive bomb for Paul Verhoeven who would later go on to redeem his reputation with ROBOCOP. The idea of the Leigh character going with her rapist instead of her assigned husband is wonderfully edgy. Is it masochism, a strategy to prevent assault and maintain some level of control, evolutionary psychology- the alpha rapist able to protect her better in this mean environment? It's an open question.

Verhoeven is well versed in the ultra-violent and ultra-sexual aspects of society. Portraying these on film are often a highlight in some of the most entertaining films of the 80s and 90s. For me, Flesh + Blood fails to rise above a showcase for sex and violence as his later films do. There isn't a character to cheer for and the plot is not much more than slight. I completely get what he was going for, but this didn't do it.

The hero is a violent rapist who may also be a saint. On the plus side it's directed by Paul Verhoeven.

Historical fiction brought to you by Verhoeven. If you know his work then you will not be disappointed. There is some truly vile rape and violence showcased but on the otherhand the performances by all the actors are so over the top that it becomes this glorious distilled manifestation of everthing that is Verhoeven. Hauer and Leigh's performance together are courageous and fascinating moments of acting. This is a disgusting but unique film. Criminally underrated and misunderstood gem.

Classic early Verhoeven. Nudity, violence, and a hearty sense of humor regarding both. Like a man's version of The Neverending Story.

Pretty interesting medieval revenge flick.

Pretty sure this movie was so ridiculously awful that it ended up being good.

Great Movie

Violence and nudity makes a good movie.

Gritty medieval action, with plenty of unexpected twists. This probably has to do with being a combined US-Dutch production, thus falling outside the Hollywood patterns.

A lost classic. Blod , gore, guts and lots of mud.

this is how you make a medieval movie!

Hated it. Technically the film is on a very high level: set pieces, costumes, scenes and direction, character arcs, technicalities and so on. But there wasn't a single character with a hint of humanity. All the characters in the film were despicable, inhumane, with all the vice and carnal sins rampant throughout. Maybe that was the whole concept of the film - to show the ugliness of medieval reality. But it was way too ugly and repulsive.

The relationship dynamic between Hauer and Leigh is by far the most interesting aspect of an otherwise flawed movie. I wasn't quite sure if the relationship was just nonsense or whether they were going for the Stockholmian Syndrome vibe. I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. The nominal "hero" is unfortunately not very good and is overshadowed by Hauer and Lee. Character motivations don't make sense. The goofy contraption that they use to get into the castle is hilarious.

With all the rape, "ironic" twists on rape (Leigh's princess-to-be feigns enthusiasm for her rape in order to emasculate Hauer's character, and in essence commits the film's first rape herself by ordering her slave-maid Bart Simpson to, erm, demonstrate the ways of nature), absurd violence, and general self-aware shagginess this has the feeling of a pomo jay-oh a la Barth or Coover, but there is no analog to their rich style nor any real humour or soul. But there is Susan Tyrrell.

Loses something by becoming a love triangle, but Verhoeven is in his element, putting the ugliness of humanity on full display.

The romance under the hanged man is peak cinema.

verhoeven gibi gişe filmi yapan, janr ile oynayan, ciddi bir metin sunup onun içinde de kendiyle alay eden ve kamerasını böyle ustaca kullanıp film boyu eğlendiren o kadar az yönetmen var ki. baştan sona çok eğlenceli, filmlerde oluşmuş ortaçağ anlayışıyla dalgasını geçen harika bir film.

You can definitely see the melodramatic and satiristic style Vehrhoeven would hone later. Characters switch between protagonist and antagonist roles in an otherwise run-of-the-mill medieval sword and siege movie. If you've seen Starship Troopers, RoboCop, and Showgirls, you can expect similar acting that is convincing enough but still leans towards ham in service of the satirical style. Runtime is a probably a tad too long, but there are few dull.moments. Underrated film in the Vehrhoeven oeuvre

Nihilistic robin hood. Hauer is great and look! Its brion James too! I uh enjoyed it but couldn't get past its pessimistic and sadistic tilt i guess I'm too sensitive in my bloody medieval romps.

Watched this when I found out it has both Rutger Hauer and Brion James in it, hoping maybe it would be like Blade Runner in medieval times or something. Unfortunately it's not, but it's still pretty good.

Gross.

Over the top and back, but the ride is fun, bloody and rapetastically good.

#13#, rw3, story, reviews, director Verhoeven

Don't know much about history but I figure Verhoeven probably doesn't either. The warscenes don't feel real, but Hauer is good and it's still a good action flick; sex, blood, and not too much to think about.

Not much to see here

Verhoeven's American directing debut, basically begins sewing the seeds of ultraviolence and nudity. Other than Hauer's interesting acting and the refreshing take of the Dark Ages, it's not worth your time.