HE. WAS A MAN... named, er, Martin (Rutger Hauer).
Double-crossed by the crown, he leads a band of squinting mercenaries to kidnap a prince's fiancée (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Cue some unflinching medieval violence and a decidedly iffy rape scene. Refreshingly, Paul Verhoeven lingers on unglamorous human details over the current trend for sweeping, epic, widescreen wonders. Think Conan The Destroyer crossed with Gladiator with a little Showgirls-style leering sprinkled on top.
