Flesh & Blood

I saw *Flesh and Blood* years ago, in a movie theater in a small Mexican town. Outside the theater, there was a lurid poster which advertised the film with the words: MORE ACTION! MORE SEX! MORE HISTORY! After I saw the film, I remember thinking that the Spanish-language ad described the film perfectly.

An over the top, violent, bawdy medieval revenge flick by Paul Verhoeven. Need I say more?

Classic early Verhoeven. Nudity, violence, and a hearty sense of humor regarding both. Like a man's version of The Neverending Story.

You can definitely see the melodramatic and satiristic style Vehrhoeven would hone later. Characters switch between protagonist and antagonist roles in an otherwise run-of-the-mill medieval sword and siege movie. If you've seen Starship Troopers, RoboCop, and Showgirls, you can expect similar acting that is convincing enough but still leans towards ham in service of the satirical style. Runtime is a probably a tad too long, but there are few dull.moments. Underrated film in the Vehrhoeven oeuvre

Gritty medieval action, with plenty of unexpected twists. This probably has to do with being a combined US-Dutch production, thus falling outside the Hollywood patterns.