Film: Flesh and Blood

Directed by: Paul Verhoeven

Produced by: Gijs Versluys

Written by: Gerard Soeteman, Paul Verhoeven

Year: 1985

Starring: Rutger Hauer, Jennifer Jason Lee

Reviewed by: The Zombieslayer

Considering how much of a misanthrope JJ is, I was surprised he didn't see this piece of Paul Verhoeven's work. I actually borrowed the DVD from Bad Man, as he's a big fan of Verhoeven.

As you know, I'm a huge fantasy buff. If there's a fantasy movie, I'll either go see it or I'm in the process of seeing it. You might think, well, isn't he a zombie nut? No, I'm not a zombie nut. Zombies are real and the zombie plague is real. It's just a matter of time and if you're not ready now, you most likely won't make it. I'd rather watch something escapist like a fantasy movie than a zombie flick, because I'm already ready for the upcoming zombie plague.

Set in 1501 in the heart of the Renaissance, Verhoeven shows that it was no Faire. War, rape, murder, and superstition, and yes, the Black Death plagued Europe. Rutger Hauer starred as a sort of anti-hero mercenary who leads a gang by a superstitious fluke. A young and gorgeous Jennifer Jason Leigh co-stars as a noble girl in a soon to be arranged marriage situation who ends up with the gang.

The film itself is gritty and unromantic, showing a more realistic side of the Renaissance than Renaissance Faire folks would like to believe. It wasn't all singing and dancing. It was dirty and dangerous, and folks who were bad off during the medieval days often were even worse off during the Renaissance.

The upheaval and the callous disregard for human life were heavy themes in this movie. Both Hauer and Leigh did fine jobs in their roles. Leigh played a manipulative woman, but she wasn't manipulative to be manipulative, but for survival. Their characters worked.

What didn't work was Verhoeven's unrealistic portrayal of the Black Plague. How it spread in his film was completely inconsistent, and the ending left something to be desired.

However, it's a decent film and if you like films about the era, Verhoeven did an acceptable job. Definitely better than that Academy Award winning slop Tom Jones, but not as good as another movie with Rutger Hauer minus Verhoeven called Ladyhawke.

6 Dead Zombies

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