Among the many types of movies I enjoy are those which involve extended fencing scenes. From classic movies such as Robin Hood  starring Errol Flynn to more modern pieces such as The Princess Bride, these scenes are well choreographed and often times involve witty banter. However, it is also very fun to discover other, lesser known fencing films. Among these lesser known films is the Spanish film Alatriste. This film, which is based on a series of novels, follows the adventures of the mercenary Alatriste (played by Viggo Mortenson) as he becomes involved in conflicts during Spain’s rule in the 1600’s.   At the same time, he is dealing with raising the son of a slain friend (played by Unax Ugalde), trying to woo a well-known actress (played by Adriana Gil) and rivalries with many powerful people including a woman in love with his charge (played by Elena Anaya).

This movie is worth watching for a variety of reasons, the first being that the story is absolutely compelling. Throughout this movie, we see Alatriste taking a variety of jobs for money but at the same time showing signs of some sense of honor. For instance, one of the jobs he is hired to do is to kill two men which he refuses to do so after one of them tries to defend the other. In addition, the story progresses so that every time it appears that something good will happen to him, it turns sour. Unfortunately, as most of these instances involve spoilers, I am not going to ruin them. Secondly, the fight choreography is very well-done, ranging from single combat scenes where you can tell that each of the actors had some training in fencing to large scale battles where the audience can sympathize with horrible conditions of war.

While this movie has good points, the only flaw it seems to have is that sometimes it feels like it drags on for too long. As I watched it, there were a few times where I thought to myself, “They could have ended it right here and it would have been perfect.” However, as stated in the beginning this movie is based on a series of novels and thus requires that each individual story be placed in some shape or form. Overall, this movie is not exactly an  Academy Award nominee but is certainly a good flick to just watch with a few friends.

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5