FLesh and Blood (1985)
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Starring: Rutger Hauer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Burlinson, Susan Tyrell
Primary genre: Historical
Secondary genre: Adventure
Third genre: Romance
An adventure and romance hybrid within historical context, Paul Verhoeven’s first Hollywood film is definitely not cut from the same cloth of the other 80s dark medieval fantasy and sword and sorcery (e.g., “Dragonslayer“ (1981), “Excalibur” (1981), “Conan the Barbarian” (1982)) flicks lacking completely and utterly their mainstream appeal through common mythological tropes; there is no handsome, young and idealistic hero to kill the dragon and save the princess. You have been warned.
Verhoeven’s middle ages vision (i.e., 16th century Italy) is an uncompromising one guaranteeing to make viewers examine this brutal era of human history without the romantic tendencies of a black and white pedantic morality. Men including our “protagonist” commit (occasionally) horrific acts of torture, murder and rape. Considering death was part of the every day life then, the movie disregards moments designated to show people grieving for the loss of their comrades due to the plague, a betrayal or war rushing towards the next confrontation whether between themselves or the lord who betrayed them (and his goons). The Dutch director goes the extra mile to showcase this visually too - crooked teeth, graphic make up and a generally unhealthy and care free behavior during a time when people had no idea about the effects of alcohol or disease transmission. Look no further than Susan Tyrrell’s character as a constantly drunk and pregnant prostitute and you will get a glimpse of the film’s grey proceedings.
No wonder when the US executives saw the final product, suffered a panic attack. “Flesh and Blood” bathed in a cynical sentiment could not attract the conservative (especially American) audiences of the mid 80s who had already rejected the nihilism of John Carpenter’s “The Thing” and the dystopia of Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner” in 1982. Its several scenes can shock to this day: full frontal nudity, grisly deaths (including those of minors) and a particularly hard to watch rape sequence. Verhoeven goes mostly for the jugular in this historical tale but a counterargument can be made about whether all this emphasis towards savagery can and should be pursued to tell a compelling story. You be the judge.
“Fighting is for fools”
Split into two halves, the kinda adventurous spirit of the first part is replaced by a fun albeit nastier segment involving a siege that does not shy away from a few uncomfortable ideas. However, the final product bears a feeling of external intervention. While Verhoeven wanted to focus on Martin’s and Steven’s relationship which context wise is far more interesting, producers insisted to introduce a traditional for this genre romance, something strongly felt as shoehorned across a two hour running time since the film’s proceedings lean towards Jennifer Jason Leigh’s character and her (subtle) fight for survival. It might invoke the wrath of feminists for the role of women back then, but seeing this film through presentistic eyes only waters down history and its relentlessly cruel aspects.
The absence of a capable and most importantly, likeable hero makes things even worse for those used to mythological fables of good vs evil. Rutger Hauer leads a strong cast making his Martin relatable enough until well he is not, bringing lots of charm to a rather thankless role (Hauer hated his character). He plays opposite Tom Burlingson’s champion of justice who is not that different from his nemesis too looking like a mini version of Emilio Estevez. Yet, the film belongs to an extremely young Jennifer Jason Leigh shining through scenes that other actress would not even dare to poke with a mile long stick, her highborn “princess” not the sweet, loving My Lady you would expect.
Perhaps described as an earlier version of “Game of Thrones” (2011-2019) way before the latter cemented into the pop culture pantheon, “Flesh and Blood” is a full on adult ride under an advantageous re-evaluation. The production design brings to life little details and hints of that era - from the blind faith to God to shifting alliances in the nick of time - all through physical locations and not glorified sets. Like any of the Dutch director’s cinematic outputs, there is nudity and violence under a smart commentary about the man’s not-different-from-a-beast nature. If you have the stomach and patient to endure this, then why not.
Not your grandma’s historical romance flick
+Cast
+Unflaterring depiction of the middle ages
+Violent, almost nihilistic historical action
+Rutger Hauer makes his character quite charming despite his questionable actions
+Fearless performance by Leigh
+Authentic locations
-Not a feel good movie
-Very uncomfortable watch in places
-Love story feels shoehorned