With the passing of William Hobbs recently, I thought I'd watch this again. Haven't seen this in years. Ridley Scott going all Rembrandt with so much shadow, based on another brilliant short by Joseph Conrad, which I read so many years ago but cannot remember at all (Scott also poached the name Nostromo from Conrad, which I haven't read). The scenery is lush, the costumes and settings spectacular, a seemingly loyal vision of what the Napoleonic period was. Carradine (Keith, not John or David) gives my favorite performance of his career, even though some of his character's actions seem in defiance of previous scenes. Keitel has one note, but he plays it with such razor precision. The soundtrack and scene swaps feel dated, locked in the style of late 70s period flicks, and Keach's narration feels very forced. But those sword fights. They almost go backwards with the best fights towards the front of the film and the final fights being less thrilling choreographically, but it still works. Hobbs gave them such a gritty realism, particularly the sound of the steel clashing and the way the wounds occur. Some of the most realistic feeling swordfights ever filmed.
If you don't know Hobbs, this is surely one of his masterpieces. The tension he sets up in his fights, along with that spontaneous, staccato feel just rings so true. There's no flair or flourish, just cut or be cut, and that feeling of desperation and fear is palpable. To Hobbs, I salute you.
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