Captain Alatriste - Blutiger Schwur

XVII Spanish Century is too rich to be told in two hours and a half, and that's what the film has tried. Perhaps too many characters that unable us to be identified with them. Alatriste is too many things in just one: the brave, the hard, the rebel, the lover, the good father... but far from us. I don't think it is Viggo's problem. If you read the novels you will find the same lack. Although we have expected more of this film, it would be unfair to say that this film is not worthy watching it. Actors are great, also wigs and customs (sometimes Spanish people cannot forget them without wigs!). Battles and photography are excellent. The films' atmosphere is much more better than other history films, the fog, the use of light. Go, watch it and make your opinion!

The film concerning captain Alatriste (Viggo Mortensen), a Spanish soldier turned into mercenary . The picture is developed through the Spanish empire which took a time for the decadence and downfall , however during century XVII it was a battleground for rival powers : Luis XIII with his favorite Cardenal Richelieu who are backing Flandes independence against Philip IV and his Count Duke Olivares (Javier Camera) . The movie is set throughout the ¨Thirty years war¨ (1618-1648 ) between Catholics and Protestants which finished in the treatise of Westfalia . The flick describes various events and battles from the epoch as the ¨Breda surrender¨(in 1625 and Spanish army commanded by Ambrosio Spinola) that imaginatively is brought the life on the famous Velazquez picture , as the ¨Rocroi battle¨ (1643) which signified the fall Spanish main and pretty well filmed in spectacular and violent images as the last stand for the imperial Tercios .

Scenarios are breathtaking but no the plot , it is slightly confusing with some flaws ; besides , being sometimes slow-moving that makes it a bit tiring and dull . Screenwriter-director Agustin Diaz Yanes tried to condense the five novels from Arturo Perez Reverte in a runtime of two hours and some but it is a little embarrassment . However , the production design including palaces , streets , slums , homes , canteen , rooms are sensational and realized by the great designer Benjamin Fernandez who has got a successful American career (Man of fire , Uprising , Enemy of State). Painting-photography and colorful cinematography by top-notch cameraman Paco Femenia (Juana la Loca) though a little dark and excessive use of interior . In addition , brilliant and luxurious costume design was made by Francesca Sartori , she is a great specialist on Italian costume films . Atmospheric and sensitive music score by Roque Baños (The machinist , Crimen Ferfecto , 800 bullets) is finely fitted to the story . The motion picture was well directed by Agustin Diaz Yanes , as it is entertained for the Spanish history buffs . At a cost of 24 million Euros, this is the most expensive Spanish film ever made. Director Agustin called that amount enough for 'a European super-production and an American rubbish-production'. Agustin Diaz Yanes has directed some good films such as ¨Don't temp me¨, ¨Solo Quiero Caminar¨ and ¨Nadie Hablara con nosotras cuando Hayamos Muerto¨ . Rating : Acceptable picture , well worth watching

I went to see this movie without reading the books first and with only a vague knowledge of the historical events the novels are based upon. Apparently, the director thought that it would be a good idea to condensate the five Alatriste novels in a single film, in order to give depth to the characters. A big mistake. The pace is for the most part too fast and anecdotic, and the action jumps from here to there without ever giving a clear reason why everyone behaves the way they do, from the romantic plots scattered along the movie to the great political conspiracies. It is never very clear either why Alatriste, who is little more than a soldier and hired assassin, is so important to so many people of high rank.

In spite of all this, I cannot give the film a bad rating because it is certainly a pleasure to watch. The technical aspects, the general "look" of the film, the music, and the acting are splendid. The casting can be a controversial point, but the chosen actors do wonders.

'Alatriste' is a film based in a series of novels by Arturo Pérez-Reverte (five until release time, with a sixth published four months later) which is hugely popular in Spain. But undoubtedly it was the news that Viggo Mortensen was to be playing the title character what put the project onto the international radar.

In fact, had it not been for Mortensen's acceptance of the role, the film would not have been made at all. Director Agustín Díaz Yanes, who also adapted the script, condensing the five novels into 134 minutes of action, said from the beginning that the film would be made only if a major movie star fronted it, and the search soon took him beyond the Spanish frontiers. To his credit, Mortensen accepted to follow up his stardom-achieving role in 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy (the clinching conversation for 'Alatriste' took place during the Berlin premiere of 'The return of the king' in December 2003) with a daring move that raised many eyebrows: starring in a non-English language film, and speaking his whole part in Spanish with his own voice, whose accent he had to change from the South American he knew since childhood to the Old Castillian his role demanded.

The film follows 40-something Diego de Alatriste y Tenorio through 20 years of his life, from the wars in Flanders in 1623 to those against France in 1643, when Spain, under king Philip IV, accelerated its decline from its position as the world's dominating superpower. The film is bookended by two spectacular feats of arms taken from each of these conflicts, but in the middle we get to know the man under the wide-brimmed hat and the long cloak. When not in the thick of the action, he has to make a living hiring his skills, and those involve killing for a few gold coins back in the dark corners of Madrid or Seville: not for people of his type the kind of glamourised glory depicted in victory-celebrating murals. Mortensen's portrayal - raspy voice, cold-eyed gaze and menacing professional manner - is every bit what the role demands, and his performance is one of the triumphs of the film.

However, he is not all there is, even if the hype has made it seem that Mortensen was all that mattered in the film. He is surrounded by a crew he has celebrated as being as fine as any he's worked with anywhere, and a cast of the best 'hidden' talent Spain has to offer (no Antonio Banderas or Javier Bardem here). Accompanying the 'tired hero', as he is described in the books, we have Unax Ugalde as Íñigo de Balboa, the young buck Alatriste raises in lieu of his dead father; Elena Anaya as Angélica de Alquézar, the scheming ladyservant of the queen; and Ariadna Gil as 'la gran actriz' María de Castro, Alatriste's luscious love interest. They form the heart of the film from the perspective of personal relationships. In none of their hearts love for each other is the only ingredient by any means, and negotiating their twists and turns can be as dangerous as avoiding sharp and pointy steel objects in the street. In fact, they don't stay sheathed indoors all the time either…

The rest of the painting is full of extraordinary nuances and details. And 'painting' is the right word, because none other than one of the greatest masters of the trade ever, Diego Velázquez, has been the visual inspiration for the film, with his grave palette of black and brown colours, a world away from the splendour and shine of previous and later historical films. Spain was wealthy on the outside but poor and rotten on the inside, and his paintings show this, as does the film. The novels mix the imaginary characters hitherto mentioned with real-life figures, and two of the supporting ones are brought to life directly from his canvases. These are Javier Cámara as the Count-Duke of Olivares, the mover and shaker behind the throne, and Juan Echanove as the writer and poet Francisco de Quevedo. The first one is, as can be expected, important to move the political plot forward, and the second might seem peripheral and time-consuming, but his picture and verses are in every school textbook in Spain, so for Spanish people these two play the important role of making Velázquez's paintings move and speak, bringing closer to home the other characters. It's been Pérez-Reverte's aim from the beginning of the saga to use Alatriste's stories to re-educate Spanish people in their own history, too neglected in recent years (see trivia section on this site) and this is a way of seeing what could have happened 400 years ago in the streets one can still walk today. Not for nothing the premiere was planned, old fashion style, in La Gran Vía, in the heart of El Madrid de los Austrias.

This is the first English review of the film ever written (as far as I know), fully one week ahead of the official Spanish release, so it is mostly introductory and I am not going into more details on purpose. Outside Spain, the film will be seen mostly in festivals, with foreign releases happening gradually towards Christmas 2006. Just to say that those who have read the books will find, as it usually happens, many changes among a genuine attempt to be faithful to the spirit of the original material, and that one thing you should avoid doing is seeing it under the shadow of 'The Lord of the Rings', because of Viggo, or under the shine of glossy Hollywood historical recreations full of dizzying light and colour. The scale is much smaller, the atmosphere darker and grittier, and sword master Bob Anderson, who crossed blades with the likes of Errol Flynn (not to mention humming lightsabres and Elvish-lettered weapons), has never been happier teaching people 'a matar, y mucho'.

All the time complaining about the lack of commercial movies in the Spanish industry, and when a nice effort comes trough, everybody is bashing it!! Now, it's true that the movie has his share of flaws: The story feels disjointed, but in the second part it takes more time to develop it; There's a well known actress playing a man ( which is something obvious). But the main reasons of complain seem to be two: The action sequences: The intention of the filmmakers was to make them look raw and cruel, not stylish and hollywoodesque. This is not Kill Bill, or Lord of the rings. The story takes place in a real time in history, and i'm sure that the sword-fighting wasn't like in the middle earth.

And Viggo: I think he's great in the role. Yes, the voice, the pronunciation of the "s", is strange. But the stance, the expression, the looks, and the physical work in general is pure gold.

Final conclusion: This isn't a great movie, but a good and solid commercial one, a movie that needed to be made ( and to be watched and discussed). A movie that, finally, we Spanish people need to support. Don't let the envy blinds you, and take out your own impressions.