isla s
This is a quite hyperactive, wacky spoof type comedy film. The characters seem somewhat comic strip-esque and the comedy is very much visual, slapstick in style. The story is pretty ludicrous (but of course!) but I guess thats where some of the fun and entertainment comes from, that its not entirely predictable. It reminded me a little of films such as The Naked Gun,Hot Shots or Johnny English, in terms of the action sequences, action mixed with comedy.
I liked how it pokes fun at the upper classes, although the obvious sexism present didn't surprise me but maybe wasn't ideal...there again perhaps its having a go at that aspect of other such, non-comedic films?. Its a pretty daft but quite entertaining and amusing watch, so I'd recommend it on that basis, although it is a little saucy, with some offensive language and mild sexual scenes/content, so its not suitable for young children to see. I thought the choreography of the fight scenes was quite good and there are some quite witty lines present in the dialogue.
There are some pretty big names present in the cast, including Britt Ekland and Bob Hoskins, plus Alastair Sim, Joss Ackland and Malcolm McDowell. Due to this, I'm surprised the film isn't more well known - I certainly hadn't heard of it until I noticed the TV channel Talking Pictures mention it on social media. I enjoyed it as a film and would recommend it to others.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
delysid d
i thought this was a cool movie thats almost as good as the 3 musketeers
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
11/21/18
Full Review
Audience Member
Hilarious swashbuckler spoof in which GM Fraser's hero Flashman is forced to impersonate a missing Duke so Bismarck (Yes, that Bismarck!) can forcibly incorporate the duchy into the new German state.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
08/13/18
Full Review
Jon C
Good, but not up to the books
This is the type of film that really requires two reviews, meaning a review of it should start with an explanation of why it requires two reviews.
Harry Flashman began literary life as a bullying schoolboy who was the villain of the popular Victorian novel (and modern TV series) Tom Brown's School Days. The character was adopted by Scottish author George MacDonald Fraser,as the anti-hero of a series historical novels beginning publication in 1969. The motif is that Flashman, grown up, is as villainous as ever -- a coward, liar, and philanderer, among other faults -- who through extraordinary good luck embarks on an army career which covers him with glory for his supposed courage, honor, gallantry, and other virtues. Over the course of these picaresque novels, Flashman meets most of the major historical characters of the Victorian age, as well as managing to be present at virtually every one of the era's major military disasters.
These books have a cult following, and people will feel differently about this film depending on whether or not they are fans of the series. The film Royal Flash was made by major director Richard Lester and features an excellent cast, including Malcolm McDowell and Alan Bates, and can be recommended to all as a well made period comic drama, with lots of intrigue, romance, and derring-do. You don't need to have read any of the books to enjoy the movie. Since the film, like the book, is deliberately based on The Prisoner of Zenda (the fictional pretense of Fraser's novel is that one of Flashman's adventures actually inspired the plot of the novel The Prisoner of Zenda,) fans of that book or of its subsequent film versions will find it has added interest. So that's the review fon non-cultists.
For those who (like myself) are real fans of Fraser's Flashman books, I'd make a slightly different recommendation. The novel Royal Flash is often considered by aficionados to be one of the weakest of the series, and some may find that McDowell's performance as Flashman and Lester's whole treatment are a bit too light and comic-opera like. But since this is, unfortunately, the only Flahman film ever made, fans of the novels will certainly want to se it, even if they find it somewhat disappointing.
I saw this on a Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment DVD which was of good quality.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
08/07/16
Full Review
Audience Member
A fantastic tongue in cheek satire of Empire and chivalry from Fraser's incredible books.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/01/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A damn good romp, what.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/01/23
Full Review
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