With Fire and Sword
With Fire and Sword
| 08 February 1999 (USA)
With Fire and Sword Trailers

In the mid-17th century, Poland was the largest, most democratic, and most tolerant country in Europe. However, a tragic civil war brought about the gradual decline of the once glorious republic...

Reviews
Contentar

Best movie of this year hands down!

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Senteur

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

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Aiden Melton

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

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Lela

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

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Brandee He

I'm actually Chinese but I found a huge interest in Polish history and I found this film, I decided to watch it. I have to say it's one of my favorite films. The costumes, amour were all accurate and it's set in "The deluge" when Poland was attacked by Swedes, Russians and the Ukrainian uprising. This film was historically accurate which I love since I have a strong interest in history. Another thing is the music, the music was truly amazing. I loved the charges the Polish Winged Hussars did and it went incredibly well with the music. After watching this I guess I'll have to move onto other famous Polish films, I can definitely see all the work and effort put in for a movie that was made more than a decade ago. Well done Poland! :)

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alexfromhorn

At first I have to say I watched it in German under the title "Kreuzritter 5", so there was a German dubbing and it was bad, which really destroyed some of it's atmosphere. I know the story and I read the book by Henryk Sienkiewicz and I really enjoyed it but I don't think that the movie could retell that epic story in a good way, especially the atmosphere and historical backgrounds. I think the costumes were really good, besides the beards and hair, they looked so artificial. The acting was partially good especially by Scorupco and Szebrowski but there were a lot of actors who weren't that good at all... There also was a problem of historic introduction, in Germany you don't get to know a little thing about eastern European history so my friend who I watched that movie with me was really confused about cossacks and tartans and all those people whom he never really heard of. And didn't knew anything about their relation to Poland or the rest of Europe - so especially this part gave that movie a big minus. The fighting-scenes were less than mediocre. The music could have been better too, it missed some epicness. It could be really much shorter cause it doesn't tell that much story at all.

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gwailo247

As a movie based on a book that is a staple of Polish reading, it is bound to attract its adherents and detractors. But overall it has enough merit to it to warrant at least a single viewing.The story is set in the 17th century, during a period of strife on the eastern fringes of Polish territory, in today's Ukraine. The main plot centers around a rebellion of Cossacks against the oppression of Polish landowners, in the greater setting of a conflict between Poland, Muscovy and the Tartars.The book was written from a Polish standpoint, so there is some obvious favoritism shown, but the main characters are not one dimensional. The motivations of the characters are clearly explained, and the good guy is not always good, and the bad guy is not always bad. The political intricacies may be a bit confusing, but at its heart this movie is a love triangle, so as long as you focus on that, you can follow along.The main reason to watch this movie is visual. If you are one of those people who likes to have a movie transport them to another time and place, this movie is for you. The costumes, props and scenery are simply beautiful. All the characters speak in the language they are supposed to speak, so you have conversations in Polish, Ukranian and even Tartar. The performances by the main characters are wonderful, ranging from comedy to romance to drama to action.The movie has a bit of something for everyone. If you like action, the battle sequences are fantastic, very massive in scale. If you like romance, the lead characters are not too hard on the eyes, and their passionate feelings come across the screen quite strongly. There is a very strong comedy element as well, but you might have to understand Polish to appreciate it fully.The special effects in this movie leave a bit to be desired. It certainly is a bloody, and at times gory film, but really no worse than a lot of recent US offerings.If I was to use a US movie as a thematic comparison, Last of the Mohicans might be a good choice, with the hero looking for his love in a wild and savage environment.Overall I would recommend this movie to fans of historical films. The plot is fairly straightforward, so you can focus on watching the visuals instead.

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ladyeuthanasia

If you love war epics, great sword work, and quirky characters, this movie is unbelievably good. They must have poured an incredible amount of money into the costuming, as well, because the entire production looked amazing. The film's length wore on me at times, but I loved those characters so much that I almost didn't want the film to end. If you don't like bloodshed, then don't watch a freakin' war movie. But if you do, you will not be disappointed by this film in the least. The battle sequences are at times stunning and all beautifully coordinated. I can't think of a single fight that didn't just completely kick bottom.As for the yum factor, the bad guy Bohun is incredibly hot. He's like a Cossack Heathcliff. Both he and the "good guy" (there really aren't any good guys in this film) were droolable. The Princess was lovely, but too clean for all her adventures. That was the only real Hollywoodism of which the film can be convicted.

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