Flesh & Blood [Blu-ray] [1985] [US Import]

***3 1/2 STARS WITH SOME CONTEXT*** THIS SHOW HAS A HARD CORE FOLLOWING, BUT IS NOT FOR EVERYONE!

***2 STARS for BLU RAY VIDEO ISSUES -- SEE BELOW

Some will give it 5 stars, and many will give it only one. Everyone is correct for their own reasons so let me explain. This gritty tale is definitely low budget, B movie quality with some fairly cheesy dialog/acting and low production quality. So for me personally, I cannot give it top marks. Those who love it give it high marks because it completely entertains in what they want from it. It is a decently constructed adventure with intentionally less polish than Hollywood epics. For some, that is the specific charm of the movie. For it's time (1985), it is very graphic in content including full female and male nudity. This movie IS NOT historical. Those claiming so are referring to a less clean, more brutal depiction of the combat. However, this corresponds to no actual event. The clothes are pure costume and blatantly so. The siege machine used in the latter part is a pure concoction to illustrate how Arnolfini's son fights with brains rather than brawn. That's not a problem if you don't take it too seriously.

THE PLOT: In 1501 Italy, Nobleman Arnolfini retakes a city for which he is the rightful ruler while aided by a band of mercenaries in support of his own soldiers. Arnolfini has promised the mercenaries 24 hours of looting before they leave in exchange for their services. Once the city is taken, Arnolfini renegs on his promise and orders the captain of the band (Hawkwood) to expel his own fighters from the city. This betrayal is facilitated as Arnolfini promises aid to Hawkwood for a young nun he accidentally injures during the sack of the city. Hawkwood's lieutenant named Martin (played by Rutger Hauer) leads the band away and they plot revenge. Meanwhile, the nobleman has arranged a marriage for his scholarly - and not so soldierly- son. The betrothed girl Agnes is played by a very young and beautiful Jennifer Jason Leigh. However, the son is not on board with the plan until an arranged "accidental" meeting ensues and she begins to win him over. Martin returns at this point and exacts his revenge while stealing Arnolfini's wagons containing treasures and dowry. That evening at camp, as Martin's band split the loot, they discover that Agnes is still hiding in one of the wagons. After being violated, she is taken with them as they evade and fight Arnolfini's forces. Can they safely get Agnes back? Will she still love Arnolfini's son? Or, will she fall for the charismatic Martin and join his band?

BLU RAY PICTURE QUALITY: I mentioned it's a mixed bag. The daylight shots were a surprisingly decent upgrade for a B movie restoration. Then it got to the indoor scenes and my heart sunk. It was horrible! With indoor and night scenes there is not just grain, I would describe it as light micro snow. The scene where the nun is injured, the one where Agnes is discovered hiding in the wagon, and the tub scene where she bathes with Martin - all are affected. Those areas may well be worse than some dvd prints I have seen. Many of the scenes that made this movie a cult classic have fallen victim.

MOVIE BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT: The script was partly based on unused material for the Dutch TV series Floris, which also starred Rutger Hauer and was director Verhoeven's debut. The resulting film, originally titled God's Own Butchers, was also known as The Rose and the Sword on early VHS release. The original movie concept by Verhoeven did not include the character of Agnes and focused on the rivalry between male characters. Orion Pictures felt the movie needed a love interest and what we have now was born. Verhoeven blamed the abject failure at the US box office on the added distraction of Agnes, who actually becomes the focal point. In retrospect, the low production values and cheesy acting might have had more to do with it. In fact, the well constructed adventure and the often naked Agnes are probably what made this movie a cult favorite. If you are still wondering if this movie is for you, understand that there is a gang rape scene that takes a very surprising turn. There is a supposedly romantic scene set below two hanged men where the virginal Agnes (raised in a convent) digs up mandrake root. And, there is biological warfare with a tainted animal carcass. The gore is frequent, but honestly not as bad as some movies today. The brutality is more situational in that respect. Many viewers just looking for a light medieval adventure will not like this, even though equally raw content is on cable regularly nowadays.

If you have not seen it before, I highly recommend you rent it first. Many viewers (even less picky ones) will find this movie too offensive or cheesy. If you are buying, I suggest getting it at a low price because of the video issues.

I love this movie, so I was very excited to see that it's available on Blu-ray. But this transfer is so horrible that I cannot recommend anyone purchase the Flesh & Blood blu-ray. You would absolutely be wasting your money. Adding insult to injury, my older DVD version actually upscales better to an HD TV than this blu-ray disc, that's how bad this blu-ray is.

The story itself is fairly simple: set in medieval times, with plague ravaging the land, virginal Agnes gets kidnapped by a gang of mercenaries, who soon take over a castle. Her noble boyfriend sets off in pursuit of her, but in the meantime, Agnes has started manipulating mercenary leader Rutger Hauer. It's gory but entertaining, with sex, nudity, violence, and a bit of questionable science thrown in for more fun.

Jennifer Jason Leigh plays Agnes, and she's something to see. However, the poor transfer ruins virtually all the fun scenes with her, which take place in dim light. This is a problem that does not exist in the DVD version, which means that it's a problem with the transfer itself and not the original material.

Thus, while I find the story to be entertaining and about 4-stars, this product is a zero-star product. Save your money and avoid frustration: Do NOT buy the blu-ray. You will be bitterly disappointed.

I saw this film in the late 80's on cable, I missed the first half. It intrigued me, and i wanted to see it again in full. I like Veerhoven and Rutger Haeur. So I see that it's coming out on Blu-ray, and I think to myself, "Great, I'll buy it and finally get to see the whole thing!" I should have sought out a VHS copy that had been in a flood, I might have seen a better picture. This is the single worst transfer I have ever seen. I appreciate a little grain in some old movies, but some scenes were unwatchable. Nothing to do with the film itself, but it looks like total, utter crap.

Great movie. Poor picture. Sometimes the widescreen picture looks distorted.

I love the story and have seen this movie several times. This DVD went from a clear picture to one that looked like it was copied from a VHS tape. It was grainy and out of focus. I wanted a good DVD or blue ray, this was not. If I knew that it was like it is I would have waited and looked elsewhere.