years since its release, including statements that it was "too cynical and downbeat" to be a hit. Professor of film and literature at California Polytechnic State University Douglas Keesey suggested that the film had "no hero to root for and no happy fantasy element to lighten its unpleasantly realistic depiction of the Middle Ages". The film's financial failure caused Verhoeven to move to the United States in September 1985 in order to better understand American culture and what films would be suited to its audience. In addition to this, his previous films, notably Spetters (1980), had been protested by members of the Dutch public and it had become difficult to gain financing to shoot productions in his home country. Critical response Although unsuccessful at the box office upon release, the film has become a critical and cult favorite. It maintains an 86% approval rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 21 reviews, with a weighted average of 6.1/10. Noel Murray of The A.V. Club wrote in his review: "From the start of his career, Dutch director Paul Verhoeven has mostly focused on making violent, sexy genre pieces—often punishing, often absurd, and always placed in the context of a moralistic pessimism. Verhoeven’s 1985 English-language film debut Flesh and Blood wallows in mud and misery, with Rutger Hauer playing an early-16th-century mercenary who leads a troupe of undesirables in a revolt against a deadbeat lord, and Jennifer Jason Leigh playing a virginal lady who’s kidnapped by the rebels and becomes Hauer’s (mostly) willing mate." Cultural impact The movie inspired Berserk creator Kentaro Miura, who said in a 2003 interview when he won the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize's Award for Excellence (2002) that he based the design of Berserk protagonist Guts on the character Martin as portrayed by actor Rutger Hauer. References Citations Sources External links 1985 films 1980s adventure films 1980s historical drama films 1980s English-language films English-language Dutch films English-language Spanish films American historical drama films Films about mercenaries Films scored by Basil Poledouris Films directed by Paul Verhoeven Orion Pictures films Films set in castles Films set in the 1500s Films set in Italy Dutch historical drama films Spanish historical drama films Films shot in the province of Ávila Films shot in the province of Cuenca Films shot in the province of Cáceres Films about coups d'état 1980s American films