In Flesh and Blood, Paul Verhoeven takes us back to early 16th-century Western Europe to tell a story about betrayal, revenge, love, lust, and religious fanaticism. The film is rife with Verhoeven-style gore, sex, brutality, sleaziness, and nastiness, for which people either love or hate him. He portrays a grim and realistically dark portrayal of the medieval era, depicting a society full of brutality and hardships, a civilization plagued by a terrible disease, and people continually involved in horrific warfare.
The year is 1501, and Arnolfini (Fernando Hilbeck) has lost control of a city in Italy due to a coup d’état. To retake the city, he enlists the assistance of mercenaries led by commander Hackwood (Jack Thompson). He tells the mercenaries that if they win, they can have 24 hours of unrestrained plundering. However, once the city is retaken, Arnolfini betrays them and drives them out of the city with the help of Hawkwood. The mercenaries led by Martin (Rutger Hauer) are a horde of untamed savages who vow vengeance for tossing them out and robbing them of their promised part of the treasure. They ambush Arnolfini and his men on the road, including his son Steven (Tom Burlinson), who are on their way to see his future wife Agnes (Jennifer Jason Leigh). During the fight, Agnes gets captured and ends up in the camp of the savages, where Martin rapes her, and she submits herself to him to stay alive. On the other hand, Steven tries to rescue Agnes from the mercenaries as a deadly plague is rapidly spreading.
Paul Verhoeven’s specialty as a writer/director is that his movies have a rapid narrative progression. Every scene contains just the appropriate amount of story exposition and character development that moves the story forward smoothly. He does not believe in wasting a single frame where nothing is happening, and Flesh + Blood is no exception, as he manages to tell a story in a short, concise, and on-point manner without letting it wander all over the place. There were a lot of problems while making the movie, and American studio Orion Pictures put pressure on director Verhoeven to change the plot. His original screenplay centered on the enmity between Hawkwood and Martin, but he had to include Agnes as a romantic interest. Nonetheless, the movie does not falter solely because of the strong characterization of Agnes and the brilliant performance by Jennifer Jason Leigh. I would not be surprised if Tarantino chose her for The Hateful Eight (2016) based on her performance in this film.
The film has a contentious rape scene in the second act in which Martin rapes Agnes, which has polarized audiences. But it is an important scene that marks a substantial shift in her character. To capture the cruelty and realism of the medieval era, Verhoeven made the scene as graphic as possible. Agnes transforms from a virgin who asks her maid, “How do you behave when you are alone with a man?” to a seasoned survivor who utilizes whatever means available to her, including sex. The ordeal she endures strengthens her steely resolve, which ultimately ensures her survival at the expense of her kidnappers.
The way the relationship between Martin and Agnes evolves over the course of the film is well executed. Even though the film makes it difficult to root for anyone, Agnes, who becomes Martin’s companion and hopes to escape, has a soft spot in her heart for him for saving her from the gang’s brutish members. As a result, we surprisingly end up empathizing with his character. Flesh and Blood is not in the same league as Starship Troopers, Robocop, or even Benedetta, but it is undoubtedly underrated and overlooked.
Flesh And Blood movie link: IMDB
For more movie reviews, visit our homepage
1970s 2023 Action Adventure alfred hitchcock black and white Buddy Comedy classic movies Crime criterion collection denzel washington Drama free movies on youtube French movies Gangster Giallo great films Horror indian movies John Flynn lucio fulci Mystery Neo noir netflix netflix movies new movies new releases Noir Paul Verhoeven Period Drama police procedural Psychological thriller Revenge reviews ridley scott Sci-Fi Slasher Spy movies supernatural suspense Thriller toshiro mifune war Western whodunit