Watch Sharpe's Sword For Free

Purely Joyful Movie!

Don't Believe the Hype

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

The thing about the Sharpe films is that I'm spoiled: I've always read the book by the time I get to the filmed version, and invariably it's a disappointment when compared to Cornwell's sparkling prose. This one is no different: while, as a stand-alone movie, it fits the bill nicely enough, it bears little resemblance to the book of Sharpe's Sword and the differences are always inferior in this version. There's no sense of massed battle, of the enemy's evil nature, of Sharpe's secret affair with a female spy, and of the terrible life-or-death scenario that our hero goes through. Even the sword itself, so integral to the novel, barely registers in this version. Once again, budgetary constraints are to blame.The film itself isn't too bad and is better paced than some other adventures I've seen. Sean Bean is on top form and his Sharpe is noticeably humorous in this one, which makes a nice change from his usual dourness. The regular supporting cast are all given good parts, particularly Daragh O'Malley – struggling with the responsibilities of fatherhood, and Jason Salkey, whose rifleman Harris has a meaty part for once. The guest actors are all pretty good too – James Purefoy makes an impression as the foppish Lord Spears, and Emily Mortimer is the epitome of fragile beauty as a mute girl. Michael Cochrane also pops up as the lecherous Simmerson, clearly taking over from Pete Postlethwaite in hissable villainous duties. The battle scenes are limited and in some instances there are laughable mistakes. The closing battle, when Spears is sent on in front, made no sense to me whatsoever. The pivotal scene where Sharpe is shot is also something of a disappointment, nowhere near as dramatic as in the book. Still, the direction is assured and the character interaction kept frothy, so it's not all bad; just not what it could have been, given a Hollywood-style budget.

Glorious TV, especially for those who like action. The Sharpe series has to be the best TV ever, and for what we are frequently told is a low budget series, the cast and crew have worked miracles. Each episode could have stood alone as a theatre film, especially during the school holidays. Not only are the leads superb in their roles, but the guest stars, such as James Purefoy and John Kavanagh are top drawer, and where do they find these magnificent singers? A lot of the enjoyment for me is listening to the beautiful clear singing unaccompanied by instrumental backing. Location scenery, battles, sword fighting, humour and camaraderie. What more can you ask. The rollicking 'Boy's Own' adventure is rarely seen these days. HBO in particular seems to offer splendidly photographed soft core porn. Sharpe usually gets the girl as there is a damsel in distress every time, but the sex, if any, is kept off screen so the children can watch this series - although any romance probably go right over their heads. Best of all, the series has humour but avoids the mawkish sentimentality that so many American shows fall into. I loved the spectacular locations, and felt for the actors as one could see the breath coming out of their mouths in the freezing cold. The battles, cannon, muskets and confusion, with dead and dying soldiers were very realistic. The sword fights are not the fancy fencing of Errol Flynn and Cornel Wilde, they are hard, violent, smashing and slashing fights to the death. Running the opponent through is the way to finish them off. Possible spoiler ahead:My only faults with this episode, aside from the casting of the irritating Emily Mortimer, who always looks ready to weep, is the unlikely fight between Sharpe and Leroux the day after Sharpe had been snatched from the jaws of death having taken a deep cut to the shoulder which had to be stitched up by Ms. Mortimer, followed by her digging a musket ball out of his intestines which were already festering. Sharpe then developed a fever which was treated by dunking him in icy water, then being cuddled by Ms. Mortimer overnight. Next morning, bright as a button he is leading his men in a charge on the French fort, and wielding a very heavy sword ending with the aforementioned duel. Give me a break! The nine lives of Richard Sharpe. The other puzzle was why Lord Pierce did not expose or kill Leroux when he had the chance, rather than acting as devil's advocate at the petition to revoke Leroux's parole. After watching my DVD set, I am definitely going to read the books.

**SPOILER**I haven't yet seen them all, but this one disappointed me, despite the unexpected bonus of James Purefoy. The book is vastly superior to the adaptation. It's not for the lack of trying on the actor's parts, Bean and company are as reliable as ever, but the story really suffers from the absence of La Marquesa, and the addition of Lass. Surely he would have asked her name - either of Curtis, or when she actually starts speaking again. One of the strongest aspects of the book is the bond between Sharpe and Harper, demonstrated in Harper's care for the wounded Sharpe and the sword that he lovingly restores for him. In the film, they seem to just skip over it. And why is Harper's woman called Ramona? What was wrong with Isabella? That said, there were some great moments in this film, Lass's rebuttal of Simmerson, and the moment where Curtis tricks Harper into marriage are pretty good. And although i love James Purefoy, he didn't really do Spears justice, although his character had been pretty well butchered by the time he got to it.

I read the "Sharpe" books before they were adapted for televison, and although it is difficult to faithfully convey a novel in a two hour TV movie the adapatation of "Sharpe's Sword" disappointed.As with the other films the backdrop is the Napoleonic War, however the whole point of the story is Richard Sharpe's desire to possess the sword of his deadly foe, and, the bond between Sharpe and Harper. The film totally fails to convey any of the emotions of the two characters; Sharpe and his consuming passion to own the Klingethal and Harper's, when halfway through it appears that Sharpe will die of injuries sustained in a swordfight.The film becomes just another boys own adventure in the Sharpe series which is fine on one level but totally misses the point of the storyEnjoy the film for what it is but I encourage you to read the book.