Adventure, Drama  •  1985  •  126 min  •  Adults (18+)

Flesh + Blood (1985)

Flesh + Blood poster

Flesh + Blood (1985)


Rating & Dimensions

Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Leans Traditional
Political: Center
Diversity: Low
Family Values: Strongly Progressive
Christianity: Negative

Viewer Rating
6.8

Overview

Flesh + Blood is a 1985 adventure drama directed by Paul Verhoeven that follows a group of medieval mercenaries seeking revenge on a deceitful nobleman during a time of plague and war. The film leans traditional due to its historical fidelity in themes and character roles, with a focus on survival and human nature rather than progressive social narratives. It features a conventional medieval setting without intentional modern reinterpretations, and its cynical view of power and morality remains unaligned with political advocacy. Despite subverting family values and normalizing harsh realities, the movie does so through traditional genre tropes rather than progressive messaging, earning its Leans Traditional label.


Starring Cast

Rutger Hauer  •   Jennifer Jason Leigh  •   Tom Burlinson


Where to watch

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Detailed Bias Analysis

Analyzing...
Leans Traditional

Primary

Political: Center
Confidence: High

The film offers a cynical, unromanticized portrayal of human nature and power dynamics in a brutal historical setting, critiquing the depravity of both established authority and rebellious forces without explicitly endorsing or rejecting modern left or right political ideologies.

Diversity: Low
Confidence: High

The movie features traditional casting consistent with its historical setting and production era, without intentional race or gender swaps of roles. The narrative focuses on historical themes of survival and human nature, and does not present a critical portrayal of traditional identities or explicitly incorporate DEI themes.

Secondary

Family Values: Strongly Progressive
Confidence: High

The film portrays family life as brutal and transactional, with marriage often forced or non-consensual, and sexual violence normalized. It depicts a mercenary 'chosen family' bound by survival rather than traditional bonds, actively subverting traditional family norms.

Christianity: Negative
Confidence: High

The film portrays the Christian Church and many of its adherents as corrupt, hypocritical, and ineffective in a brutal world. While a character like Steven attempts to embody Christian virtues, his efforts are often shown as naive and futile against the pervasive violence and amorality, suggesting a critical view of the religion's practical impact and institutional integrity.

LGBTQ: N/A
Confidence: High

The film "Flesh + Blood" does not feature any identifiable LGBTQ+ characters or themes. Its narrative centers on heterosexual relationships, violence, and survival in a medieval setting. Consequently, there is no portrayal of LGBTQ+ individuals or issues to evaluate within the story.

Trans: N/A
Confidence: High

The film 'Flesh + Blood' does not feature any identifiable transsexual characters or themes within its narrative. The story centers on medieval mercenaries and power struggles, with no elements pertaining to transgender identity or experiences. The portrayal is N/A due to the complete absence of such depictions.

Female Combat: No
Confidence: High

The film features Agnes, a noblewoman who is captured and becomes entangled with a mercenary group. Her role involves survival and navigating complex relationships, but she does not engage in or win direct physical combat against male opponents.

Gender Swap: No
Confidence: High

The film features an original story and characters, not adapting pre-existing material or historical figures. Consequently, no character was established as a different gender in prior canon or history to be gender-swapped.

Race Swap: No
Confidence: High

The film "Flesh + Blood" features original characters created for its screenplay, set in a historical period but not adapting specific historical figures or pre-existing source material. Therefore, no character had a prior established race to be swapped from.

Hinduism: N/A
Confidence: High

Not depicted in the film.


Viewer Rating Breakdown

6.8

Viewer Rating

Combines user and critic ratings from four sources

User Ratings

IMDB logo
6.7
The Movie Database logo
6.5

Critic Ratings

Rotten Tomatoes logo
8.2
Metacritic logo
5.6

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