Sharpe's Sword (1995)

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Sean Bean returns again for another swashbuckling Sharpe adventure, which sees Sharpe and his chosen men become involved in the dark and sinister world of espionage.Richard Sharpe and his chosen men have saved a young nun from certain death after her coach was attacked by a French company, where her travelling companions, a priest and two other nuns have been brutally tortured and murdered. This leads her to be struck dumb with shock ,lose her faith in God and become inseparable from Sharpe, who she now considers her saviour.Sharpe and a dashing Lord by the name of Captain Jack Spears defeat the French company and take a French Captain prisoner, but further discoveries and investigation, arouses Sharpe's suspicions that this French Captain is far more than what he appears on the surface and certainly more dangerous.However, when Major Munro tells Sharpe that Napoleon has sent top Soldier Colonel Leroux to capture El Mirador, Wellington's top spy in the territory, Sharpe is convinced that his mysterious prisoner is Leroux himself, but cannot prove it.Sharpe is therefore sent to protect El Mirador, which is a difficult task as aside the name he does not know who El Mirador is, so he does not know for sure who he is supposed to be protecting.When the prisoner finally unmasks himself it leads to a bloody battle and the exposure of a French spy in their midst.The talented and amazingly underrated James Purefoy practically steals the show as the dashing Captain Jack Spears and the delectable Emily Mortimer turns in a nice little performance as 'Lass' Sadly missed however is Hugh Fraser who's presence as Wellington is always an added attraction to the Sharpe movies, but in this particular adventure he seems to have been overlooked. Shame.Although this storyline does has the power to confuse somewhat, the action, as always never fails.

I totally agree with the in-depth review already submitted. This episode of the Sharpe series is my all-time favorite and the character of Lord Jack and the performance by James Purefoy have become a must -see every few months or so! I own all fourteen of the Sharpe series and annually play them in sequence. James Purefoy's portrayal of the tragic figure of Lord Jack and the tension-fraught scene in the library are worthy of any first-line production in the theater. You can tell I am a huge Sharpe fan (Sean Bean being the ultimate action hero of all time!) and I really feel sorry for people who have missed this engrossing and intelligently researched and produced series! Bernard Cornwell, author of the novels from which Sharpe is taken, is an outstanding writer and I recommend his other works to all. If you are a reader, try one of his many engrossing historical novels.

i loved the books, but found the character of Sean Bean gives a great visual of the hard nosed sharp, not putting up with anything, angry and bitter, he does it great. the video series is of course a low budget show, but i think they did their best during this time to reveal some great historical events. my only disappointment is now that i live in Mexico i want to share this series with everybody i know, but i cant find the video series or DVD with Spanish subtitles. it viewed once here in Mexico on cable, either wit BBC or HALLMARK, i cant remember now, so i know it must exist somewhere, if anybody knows how i can get the series with subtitles so i can share it with a Spanish speaking nation, please let me know, its funny most of the series is in Spain, and where are the Spanish subtitles?

Sharpe's Sword is one of the more complicated stories. There's a French officer changing identities to hide the fact that he's actually a Colonel named Leroux who has been sent to assassinate a mysterious British agent named El Mirador. Confused yet? Meanwhile, Sharpe also rescues a young woman who doesn't speak, so she is given the name Lass, and despite Sharpe's efforts to pawn her off, Lass continues to stick to Sharpe like glue, even sleeping in his tent at night. There's a hidden code, traitors, spies, Priests, and a subplot of Harper being forced to marry Ramona, the mother of his child. The story is even more complicated than that, but this is all I'll say. The story takes some big leaps this time, revolving around the possible death of Sharpe. Even though for a lot of the movie they're not in contact, Sharpe and Harper have a great dynamic between them. While in the past the loyalty between the two of them was always there, this movie gives some insight into their relationship. Unlike some other reviewers, I didn't mind the character of Lass. Of course she's not as good as La Marquesa, but come on, La Marquesa was the best female character the series ever had. And considering Lass only speaks a few words during the entire movie, her character was still better developed than several other female characters in the series. I have to say that the real treat of Sharpe's Sword is the unexpected return of Simmerson, the original pompous, bumbling, fool of a British Officer. I believe Henry Simmerson to be one of the reasons why Sharpe's Eagle was so popular, and next to only Obadiah Hakeswill, Simmerson is the best villain this series had. The scene between him and Lass is the best example of why he's so good. Sir Henry Simmerson is a character who is so disgustingly vile that I almost wish they'd given him his own spinoff series. There's also the addition of Spears to the cast. The one scene where Sharpe confronts him is one of the strongest points of the movie. It's not often that an actor can upstage Sean Bean, but James Purefoy did it. Great dramatic writing in that scene, and great dramatic writing all around. Sharpe's Sword was the first script Eoghan Harris had done since Sharpe's Enemy, my favorite movie of the series. There's something about the scripts that Eoghan Harris writes that completely captures the adventure and excitement. As always, there are multiple showdowns that end in swordfights. First there's the fight between Simmerson and the character who is eventually revealed to be El Mirador. I love taking pleasure in viewing Simmerson in pain and agony. Like I said before, disgusting villain, brilliant character. I'll go as far as to say that the best fight scene of the entire Sharpe series is the one between Sharpe and Leroux. What makes it work is that both men are badly beaten and in serious pain the whole time. The fact that they can barely stand on their feet brings some urgency to the fight. The real showdown of the movie is between Harper and the Priest. Sure, they don't fight, but it's a very funny scene that perfectly ends the movie on the right note. Sharpe's Sword is definitely the best movie since Sharpe's Enemy, and one of the very best of the series.