Flesh+Blood (1985)

Flesh and Blood (1985), directed by Paul Verhoven, written by Paul Verhoven and Gerard Soeteman, starring Rutger Hauer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Burlinson and Jack Thompson 

In 1501, Arnolfini (Fernando Hilbeck) leads his mercenary troops to take back a city that was couped under him while he was away. As for a reward, he promises 24-hours of looting. But after the dust settles, he changes his mind and asks the mercenary captain Hawkwood (Thompson) to stop his men before they empty the whole city.

Hawkwood reluctantly agrees after he is promised a bigger reward. The mercenaries are quickly rounded up and made to drop their weapons. As you might suspect, this doesn't sit well with the men, who were promised riches. The captain receives his reward, a pouch of gold and a deed to a farm, where he retires to take care of a young nun he clobbered, damaging her brains.

A sulking group of mercenaries and their women lead by a fighter Martin (Hauer) have gathered in wait for one of the women, Celine (Susan Tyrrell), to deliver her baby. The babe is stillborn and while the men bury her, they dig up an old statue of Saint Martin. A priest among them, Cardinal (Ronald Lacey) believes it to be divine providence, suggesting that Martin is to lead them to riches. Encouraged by that, they agree to follow Martin to take back what was promised to them by Arnolfini.

The group ends up capturing a convoy transporting the future spouse of Arnolfini's son Steven (Burlinson). Agnes (Jason Leigh) pleads for her life, promising them riches, but ends up being raped by Martin. The spunky girl does catch his eyes and he decides to keep her for himself, a decision that begins to drive a wedge between him and his troops, men and women alike.

Lead by their sain, the mercenaries end up conquering a small castle, where they decide to live like kings. Agnes decides, that the best way for her to survive the ordeal is to further seduce Martin, thus buying time for Steven to find her.

Steven pleads Hawkwoods aid, as his father is indisposed by a lance to the chest. Grudgingly the old mercenary captain agrees after Arnolfini and Steven threaten to imprison the young nun on basis of dangerous insanity. Once again Hawkwood has to don the armour in order to help the nobles fight against his former men.

Hawkwood and Steven find the castle Martin has captured. They siege the castle and Steven sees this as an opportunity to put the things he has learned in the university to practical use. He orders the troops to build a siege tank, which he hopes to help them to storm the castle. Things go awry and Stephen ends up being captured.

In the end, Agnes finds that she has to make a choice between the man she was promised to and the man she was captured by. While being imprisoned, she has discovered feelings towards her captor in somewhat vein of Stockholm Syndrome. At the same time, she wants to be free of the looming threat of the other mercenary men and be with Steven, but at the same time, Martin isn't cardboard cut out evil. Opportunistic, at times cruel for sure, but not that different from Arnolfini or even Steven.

While Flesh+Blood has the air of a more typical medieval fairytale, it is at the same time quite different from a more typical romanticised take on the era. Verhoven weaves a story, where the notions of chivalric middle age are blended with a grimmer reality, where the strong rule over the weak and human life is worth nothing. In this kind of world, it doesn't matter who you are, it matters more what you are willing to do to survive. That doesn't mean a binary choice of the side you are, but more deliberate navigation through shades of grey when the need arises.

This was the first English language movie for Verhoven he has personally stated, that he was a bit disappointed with it, as with multinational production came a new set of problems, which placed hindrances on the movie. One of the biggest changes was the romance story between Agnes and Steven and Martin, when Verhovens original idea had been to study a relationship of two very different men, an old warrior Hawkwood and a young scientist Steven.  Apparently, Verhoven had a falling out with Hauer on grounds of the movie, as Verhoven had originally envisioned Martin even more morally ambiguous, whereas Hauer wanted a bit more of a heroic stint.

For what it's worth, I do think the movie works pretty well as it is now. In the form it is now, it is far from being a typical medieval fantasy romance. While it has elements of one in it, it also manages to prod the setting deeper while exploring the fact, that human relationships aren't easy and straight cut.

Flesh+Blood is a movie well worth watching if you are in for a bit different medieval movie. While the story structure has some issues, it is a movie, that works because of the themes it has. It isn't an easy movie to watch, with the rape scenes and all the explicit violence, but if you do end up watching it, you'll find it a movie, that'll stick with you.