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Thanks for the memories!

Load of rubbish!!

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Another of the Sharpe's series of movies. I really enjoy them as they pit the gutter in Sharpe against the British elitists that believe only their kind are fit to rule and command. It is what made the British Empire so wrong and so powerful though. In this one Sharpe is called back into service by Wellington because Harper is captured by the Raj forces, or so they think. Wellington is using this info to get Sharpe to do his will. He of course finds Harper and they team up to enter the Raj's fortress as British deserters, save the captured general's daughter with the help of some French expatriates, kill the renegade East India officer who is the real impetus behind the military prowess of the Raj and a traitor sergeant. As usual everything turns out well in general with the standard casualties but Sharpe and Harper come out alive if the worse for wear.

I finished watching Sharpe last night. I got the complete collection for Christmas. It's a hugely enjoyable show and probably the best mainstream British television drama ever. It's also a serious slice of 90's nostalgia, and for me Sean Bean's rough and ready Richard Shapre is as iconic as 007.That's not to say it's a perfect show; there are some frequent and notable flaws. Firstly Sean Bean's acting ability can't always match the quality of the writing and during some of the more wordy 19th Century dialogue he struggles to give it any kind of emotional weight, you can tell he is not comfortable with saying it therefore it's not always believable. However, in every other aspect Bean is perfect as Sharpe and the show is NOT just about period drama it's mainly about action and boys-own adventure with a bit of sex and a fair amount violence.The second flaw also does a lot to add to the charm and personality of the show. Major historical battles that featured hundreds of thousands of men are staged using about twelve extras and a distinct absence of long or establishing shots! That said though, the battles and action sequences in general are usually very effective and entertaining and some of the stunt work is exceptional, as are the costumes and make up.The third persistent flaw in the show is the makers disregard for continuity of characters and a willingness to abandon the procedural nature that made the show so popular, and just plain brilliant, in the early days. This lack of continuity (or you could even say respect) for the minor characters is mostly manifested in the chosen men, who for me, are a great aspect of the show. Some of the chosen men drift in and out from week to week and characters who you like one week and not in it the next and just disappear without explanation. This is most obvious towards the end of the series with Hagman and Harris who aren't given a lot to do and are missing from a couple of episodes.There is also quite a shift in quality and tone from the start of the series to the end with Sharpe's Rifles, Eagle, Company, Enemy, Honour, Gold, Battle and Sword all being focused on Sharpe and the Chosen Men's adventures; with plenty of action and not much of the (slightly monotonous) period dramatics that were prevalent in the later stages of the show.These episodes (or movies) represent the golden age and very best of Sharpe; before it got bogged down with recurring plot lines that weren't that interesting. Sharpe jumped the shark with Sharpe's Regiment in 1996. It wasn't' a bad episode but it was the first that abandoned the procedural nature of the show. There were good moments such as Sharpe and Harper (his loyal colleague) pretending to be simple soldiers in the ranks again and also the very end of the show where Shapre gets his first sighing of France. But overall it was definitely downhill from Regiment onwards. Although subsequent episodes like Siege and Waterloo were excellent, the episode Mission was generic (although still very enjoyable) Justice was disappointing and Revenge (apart from the first twenty minutes) was abysmal. All these lesser episodes focused heavily on Sharpe's disastrous relationship with wife Jane who ran off with another man and stole all of Sharpe's money. It could have been quite an interesting storyline but the makers dragged it out for what seemed like an eternity. Thankfully, Sharpe's Waterloo was a return to form (although it still didn't reach the heights of say, Battle.) with more focus on Shapre, his Chosen men and the action and adventure side of things. Waterloo would have been a fitting send of..In 2006 Sharpe returned to our screens with Sharpe's Challenge which was set in India two years after the events of Waterloo. Unfortunately, in my opinion, Challenge was also disappointing; which is made even more so by the fact that there is a good Sharpe movie in there somewhere.There were several major problems with Challenge. Firstly the format; all the other movies were approximately 100 minutes long and shown in one complete part. Challenge was a whopping 140 minutes and was split into two parts; which was a fatal mistake as it made the story overly long and bloated in places. The makers also (criminally) abandoned the iconic opening credits and music, which don't look or sound dated, so I really don't understand that decision.I believe there is a shorter version of Challenge, which although I haven't seen I should imagine is much better than this bloated two part movie. Another major problem was the recycling of old characters, Bickerstaff in Challenge was identical to the legendary Hakeswill of the original series, also the equally brilliant character of Simmerson was brought back to little effect as some kind of ridiculous caricature of his previous self.Also for the most part in Challenge, Shapre and Harper were pretending to be from the ranks again (ala Regiment) and were holed up in an enemy fort which basically neutered Sharpe from doing anything until the last ten minutes of the movie. The bad guys (and girls) were all pretty forgettable as well (although Toby Stevens is a good actor – and shows it).There are some good points to Challenge though, it's great to see Sharpe back (albeit having aged significantly) on our screens and the movie clearly had a much bigger budget than previous entries so the action was fittingly epic and the locations and cinematography as a whole were brilliant. Overall though, some poor decision making from the makers and the network executives (two instalments mean double the advertising revenue) meant that Challenge was a disappointing entry in the Sharpe series. However, Sharpe will return later this year with Sharpe Peril and I for one, will be watching.

In my private library Bernard Cornwell's novels are the most read. And the Sharpe novels do show some wear and tear. As it is with the movies. As soon as my partners hears the song "Over the Hills..." she knows it is time to visit her friend. I am so glad they succeeded in merging the first three books into one movies and make it believable that everything takes place after Waterloo. There is of course one setback: I do so miss Obediah Hakeswill. But Sergeant Bickerstaff is a worthy replacement. And that while Bickerstaff is such a nice guy in the novel. But Dodd is there as evil as he is in Sharpe's Fortress. A great movie and a worthy successor to series. Am I the only one who misses the rest of the gang? Micheal Mears (Rifleman Cooper), John Tams (Daniel Hagman)and Jason Salkey (Rifleman Harris. A pity but not all of us have the luck of the Irish.

The welcome return of Sean Bean and Darragh O'Malley to the screen in Sharpe was so overdue. I love historical drama and the feature length really did the period justice. Fantastic production. All the actors were excellent. Completely in role. Excellent casting. I felt irritated I wasn't aware of the 'Making of Sharpe's Challenge' so didn't record it. Now I've missed it. I wish some historical dramas were preceded with an actual documentary about the events including famous works of art. There's a famous oil painting of the forlorn hope attacking a fort similar to this isn't there? I'd have liked to have looked out for the depictions in the film. Thanks to Sean Bean, Darragh O'Malley for their work. Don't give up on us. Also Shaggrat 'don't you know we're at Warrr? where have i heard that before!!!! Boromir?