Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (April 23, 2025)
After a career in his native Holland, Paul Verhoeven went Hollywood – well, sort of. A multinational production shot in Spain, 1985’s Flesh + Blood brought the director’s first English-language effort and led him toward hits like 1987’s Robocop and 1990’s Total Recall.
Set in Italy circa 1501, interlopers take over the town owned by feudal lord Arnolfini (Fernando Hilbeck) during his absence. He hires a band of mercenaries led by Hawkwood (Jack Thompson) to retake the realm.
This squad succeeds but the soldiers find themselves betrayed by Arnolfini and Hawkwood. This leads to a rebellion under cynical veteran combatant Martin (Rutger Hauer).
Despite his attempt to broaden horizons, Blood didn’t expose Verhoeven to a bigger audience in the US. Orion Pictures chose to release it on a limited basis, so it failed to make money.
I guess someone there liked what they saw since the studio hired Verhoeven for the more expensive Robocop. Of course, that one became a success and established Verhoeven as a commercial director in the US.
If I ever heard of Blood in 1985, I forgot about it decades ago. Apparently the film built an audience on cable and home video, but I don’t think I ever saw it.
Did I miss much? Maybe – I don’t think Blood matches up with Verhoeven’s better works but it comes with enough quality to make it pretty good.
To be sure, Blood displays the social attitudes Verhoeven would display in his subsequent films. The movie displays a grim view of humanity and a persistently cynical view of… well, pretty much everything and everyone.
Martin offers such a horrible character that I struggle to consider him an “anti-hero”. Generally we see anti-heroes as flawed but willing to do the right thing eventually.
On the other hand, Martin just seems like an awful person. He might occasionally make “heroic” choices, but he seems so seedy and selfish that he can’t be viewed as a hero, anti or otherwise.
Virtually no one seems sympathetic. Martin’s crew abducts noblewoman Agnes (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and he rapes her, but even she comes across as so conniving that she fails to muster much compassion.
Still, at least Agnes does what she must to survive. That means she uses and abuses plenty of folks, but given the dire circumstances into which the film places her, we understand these, even as her caustic personality and willingness to switch sides means the viewer fails to bond with her.
The best we get from Martin happens when he passively stops his crew from raping Agnes as well. Not that this seems noble in the least – after all, he already sexually assaulted her – but in the dark and seedy world of Blood, “vaguely preventing multiple rapes” counts as “heroic”.
Actually, Blood does come with one Standard Issue Hero: Arnolfini’s son Steven (Tom Burlinson). Unlike his father, Steven seems to keep his word, and the handsome, intelligent and resourceful Steven would be the clear romantic lead in most other movies.
Indeed, Blood betroths Steven to Agnes. One would expect the film to end with those two happily together while bad boy Martin suffers a problematic fate.
But then this wouldn’t be a Verhoeven movie, would it? I won’t spoil the finale, but suffice it to say Blood tampers with expectations.
Which shouldn’t come as a surprise since Verhoeven seems utterly disinterested in true blue Steven. You can sense the director’s boredom with the role.
Verhoeven creates a spin on what we expect from this sort of film. Martin and company take on a perverted Robin Hood and His Merry Men vibe, with Agnes as a highly sexual Maid Marian.
Indeed, I can think of few other movies in which an already-well-known actor like Leigh bares as much skin as she does here. Leigh romps through much of the film in the altogether and makes no attempts to hide any portion of her anatomy.
Though this can seem a bit gratuitous, it helps depict Agnes as a stark (naked) contrast to the virginal character we expect. Just as Martin becomes a sleazy Robin Hood, she offers a sexually liberated Maid Marian who uses her God-given physical gifts and seductive techniques to get what she needs.
I can find Blood somewhat tedious in its grim nature, as one wants to hang a hat on something positive. Verhoeven appears extremely reluctant to depict humanity as anything other than greedy, barbarous and cruel.
Still, this acts as such a contrast to the usual fare that I’ll take it. Blood doesn’t fire on all cylinders but it creates such a giddily perverse view of its world that it keeps us engaged.
