Sharpe's Rifles & Eagle Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Sharpe's Rifles & Eagle Blu-ray Movie Review

Sharpe charges the high definition front lines...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown April 1, 2012

When author Bernard Cornwell first put pen to paper and created Richard Sharpe -- the selfless but rebellious 19th Century British soldier turned historical fiction icon -- did he realize he was giving birth to a legend? A legend that would go on to appear in almost thirty novels and short stories, not to mention sixteen feature-length ITV films? When actor Sean Bean first stepped into Sharpe's tattered boots, did he realize he was stepping into a role that would thrive for two decades? I doubt either man fully understood how deeply Sharpe would resonate with readers and television viewers the world over, and I doubt either knew Sharpe would live to see the 21st Century, if only on the printed page and small screen. And yet here we are. Sharpe and his forces are invading Blu-ray, fighting for glory on an already crowded battlefield, and taking on a whole new market. Will newcomers take notice? Will longtime fans upgrade? Will Sharpe ride again?

"He's no proper officer. Never seems to tire, hard to catch him off guard."

Sharpe's Rifles follows the steadfast soldier's rise through the British ranks, a perilous climb that begins in war-torn Portugal in 1809. After rescuing his commander, Sir Arthur Wellesley (David Troughton), from certain death at the hands of three French soldiers, Sergeant Richard Sharpe (Sean Bean) is promoted to lieutenant and placed in charge of a ragtag band of sharpshooters in desperate need of some discipline. To the new lieutenant's chagrin, though, the decision doesn't sit well with the unit's lead rifleman, Patrick Harper (Daragh O'Malley), and the two come to blows within minutes of their first meeting. And while the duo's hard-fought but seemingly inevitable mutual admiration is still a ways off, the unlikely friendship born between the two slowly reveals itself as the backbone of the entire series.

Truth be told, the rest of Rifles' plot is secondary. Oh, there's a missing banker of great import to Wellesley, Spanish guerrillas aplenty, the first of many encounters between Sharpe and his first series lover, Teresa (Assumpta Serna), and a Spanish uprising to help incite, but it's Sharpe and his men's battlefield bonds -- not the particulars of their first mission -- that take center stage. And like any memorable '90s television drama (yes, even one in which power-guitar riffs muck up the tone and tenor of the historical fiction), director Tom Clegg's focus on Cornwell's characters and their relationships single-handedly makes the Sharpe series as effective as it is. No matter how pantomimed a punch may be, regardless of how closely battle scenes resemble stilted historical reenactments, no matter how distinctly '90s the music score becomes, Sharpe's Rifles accomplishes everything an opening volley should.

In Sharpe's Eagle, with Wellesley preparing to go on the offensive in Spain, Major Michael Hogan (Brian Cox) tasks Sharpe and his men with babysitting an inept commander, Sir Henry Simmerson (Michael Cochrane), his smug nephew, Gibbons (Neil Dudgeon), and the commander's ill-tempered lieutenant (Daniel Craig) as their struggling regiment attempts to destroy a crucial bridge. The trio doesn't take kindly to Sharpe's presence, especially when his quick thinking averts disaster, embarrasses Simmerson, and earns him yet another battlefield promotion, this time to captain. Naturally, Simmerson's nephew feels the promotion should have been his, meaning Sharpe has to contend with two threats: one on the front lines and one standing close by with a rifle at his back.

The resulting conflict, as well as Sharpe's ever-evolving friendship with Harper, his men and a pair of old acquaintances (David Ashton and Gavan O'Herlihy), make Eagle one of the best films in the ongoing Sharpe series. Bean and O'Malley shoulder the burden of three intertwining plotlines, allowing Clegg to provide simultaneous glimpses into Sharpe the Man, Sharpe the Strategist and Sharpe the Hero. Other joys abound. Seeing the new 007, Daniel Craig, snort and sneer at GoldenEye's 006 villain is great fun. Watching Cochrane squirm and slither as Bean stands firm is thoroughly satisfying. And the third act of Eagle is as exhilarating as any. Still, bookworms will no doubt take issue with the differences between the novel and Clegg's adaptation, even if the changes entailed don't detract from the heart of the tale.

Sharpe's Rifles & Eagle Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

If you have an aversion to grain, best prepare yourself. Sharpe's Rifles and Sharpe's Eagle are presented with faithful 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentations, both of which have grain to spare. It's all within the realm of Ivan Strasburg's cinematography, though, and lends the first two entries in the Sharpe series filmic clout. Of course the nature of the photography leads to several inconsistencies -- overcast skies take a toll on the palette, pale and sickly skintones come and go, elevated noise distracts during nighttime sequences, and a measure of softness presides over each entry -- but none of it traces back to the technical encode or BFS's efforts. Rifles and Eagle look better than they ever have, as a matter of fact, and the high definition image puts its previously released DVD counterparts to shame. Blood and British uniforms pack a primary punch, sunny skies are a beautiful blue, black levels are nice and deep, and detail, though impacted by lighting and other unavoidable obstacles, is more than adequate, with well-preserved fine textures (where there are any to be had), crisp edges (with only the slightest hint of intermittent ringing), and a refined grain field (which slumbers and stirs but never leaves its post). Better still, artifacting, banding, aliasing and other unsightly issues have been left behind, some limited crush being the only anomaly that finds its way into the Blu-ray presentation. Would a complete, high-dollar overhaul produce more dramatic results? Probably. But anyone armed with realistic expectations will be more than pleased with the upgrade as is, especially now that the Sharpe series is being made available via separate, more affordable, single-disc releases.

Sharpe's Rifles & Eagle Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Produced for television in 1993, Sharpe's Rifles and Sharpe's Eagle storm Blu-ray with limited sonic ammo. Still, BFS's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 surround tracks make the most of a less-than-ideal situation, delivering a pair of fit and faithful lossless mixes that get the job done. Air hiss, wind noise, glaring ADR, modest production values and other inherent issues hinder the integrity of the soundscape, but clear, intelligible dialogue and bright, clean effects (however stagy and dated) make up for it. Every orchestral beat and electric guitar anthem is given plenty of room to breathe too, and gunfire, explosions and cavalry charges impress despite the backing of the LFE channel. All things considered, Rifles and Eagle sound good. Not great, but good. Sharpe's dearly devoted legion of fans will be happy with the outcome.

Sharpe's Rifles & Eagle Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No special features are included.

Sharpe's Rifles & Eagle Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sharpe's Rifles and Eagles aren't the very best entries that the long-running series has to offer, but they haven't aged nearly as much as their music scores and battlefield melodrama might first suggest. It should come as no surprise then that the earliest Sharpe movies will have limited appeal, even if fans in the know will be excited by the upgrade the new Blu-ray edition offers over the now obsolete DVDs. BFS's excellent video presentations and solid DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mixes are honorable efforts, and the lack of special features is the only real disappointment to be had. And while the individual Sharpe releases are a bit too pricey, those willing to lay down their cash will be rewarded for their sacrifice.