Flesh+Blood Blu-ray Review
“Flesh+Blood” is another boundary pushing film from Paul Verhoeven.
Set in 1501 Western Europe, “Flesh+Blood” is a medieval historical action film penned by Gerard Soeteman and Paul Verhoeven. The story begins with Arnolfini attempting to take back a city that was taken from him. In order to do so, he hires a group of mercenaries led by Martin. The mercs are promised loot if they take the city, but after the conquest, he goes back on his word and reclaims the loot and weapons. Martin and company vow revenge. As time passes, Arnolfini’s son Steven is set to Agnes, but their betrothal is interrupted when Martin and co. ambush Arnolfini and abduct Agnes and their treasure. While held captive, Agnes begins to fall for Martin (while also trying to survive), but also has her heart set on Steven (who is attempting to mount a rescue). In other words, it’s a real love triangle situation.
1985’s “Flesh+Blood” is somewhat of a forgotten box office bomb from director Paul Verhoeven (the filmmaker behind sci-fi and cult classics like “RoboCop,” “Starship Troopers,” and “Total Recall”). While it isn’t among his finest efforts, there’s a lot to admire about this medieval epic. This is the type of film you truly don’t see anymore. It’s a grand pre-CGI production with costumes, massive sets, and explosive action that often looks dangerous and chaotic even on screen (the 80’s action film productions were wild).
The material itself is also very challenging. Verhoeven has never been one to shy away from sex and violence and you get that in spades here along with a downright brutal, ugly, and harsh look at the medieval era (albeit done in a stylized over-the-top Verhoeven esque fashion). The film features numerous disturbing scenes include a rape sequence, a chopped up plague infested dog, the deranged antics of the mercenaries, a chat about love followed by and a makeout under two hanged corpses. On top of that, no character can really be considered good or heroic here which makes the narrative even more ballsy. It’s a story that really gives viewers a glimpse of the dark side of humanity as well as a non-watered down look at a historical time period.
It should be noted that Verhoeven has quite the collaborative team here with Jan de Bont as the cinematographer, Basil Poledouris as the film’s composer, and a cast featuring Rutger Hauer, Jennifer Jason leigh and a host of splendid character actors like Bruno Kirby, Brion James, Susan Tyrrell, and Ronald Lacey. Hauer is definitely the MVP here. He brings an energy and a swagger to the role of Martin that really elevates the film as a whole. Jennifer Jason Leigh also impresses. This is a very bold performance that most actresses probably wouldn’t take on.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 2.35:1 1080p. How does it look? The print maintains the grain (which can look a bit too snowy in certain spots) while also offering up a crisp hi-def transfer.
Audio Track: PCM 2.0. How does it sound? It would have been nice to have a higher quality audio track, but this one still delivers despite it being a little flat in parts.
Extras include a trailer, 2 separate interviews with Gerard Soeteman and Paul Verhoeven and a commentary by Paul Verhoeven.
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