The first in the now legendary made-for -tv movie series
Having not actually read any of the Cornwall books on which this series is based, I can look upon this and the other movies in the Sharpe series as solely a viewer instead of one constantly comparing them to the books (which I now seem to consistently do with the Harry Potter series)so I consider this to puts me at an advantage whilst writing a review.Sean Bean makes the role of Napoleonic hero Richard Sharpe his own right from the very start, as he plays the working class, son-of-a-whore Sergeant plucked from the ranks and given officer status for saving the life of the future Duke of Wellington.
Wellington repays Sharpe by giving him command of a tough and unruly bunch of riflemen, who are forced to escort a small guerrilla army of Spanish Freedom fighters through French held territory to the tiny town of Torrecastro to help start and support an uprising.
To add to Sharpe's duties he is also under orders to find and protect James Rothchild, a banker trying to journey through enemy territory with a much needed bankers draft in order for Wellington to pay the British Army.
Although it this a great 100 minutes of classic swashbuckling entertainment, this story only seems to serve as a means to an end with this episodes sole purpose being to introduce us to the characters, and show the building relationships that will see Sharpe through fifteen sequels to date.
We see Sharpe develop several strong relationships throughout the series, and in this episode we see the basis of most of them. We all know Sharpe soon becomes one of Wellington's favoured officers but here they meet for the first time. He also meets Teresa, who will become his wife, and Patrick Harper whom after a shaky start soon becomes Sharpe's best friend and right hand man. It is here he also meets Hagman, Harris, Perkins and Cooper other ongoing characters throughout the series.
A great start to the series and one that set the bar pretty high for the future.
score 9/10
Scaramouche2004 17 November 2008
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1976909/35515
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