Customer Reviews

Alatriste [NTSC/REGION 1 & 4 DVD. Import-Latin America]

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After waiting for several years to see this movie I am a little disappointed, but I was expecting to be. I love the books, those released in English, despite what I suspect to be problems with the translations. And I was very excited to hear about the movie and thought Viggo Mortenson would be great as Captain Alatriste. And he is.

The fact that it was not released in North America on either movie screens or DVD prepared me for a less than perfect movie.

Visually, the movie looks good. The actors and costumes are just as I imagined the characters to be as are the settings and set decoration. However, the film makers tried to cram too much into it leaving a disjointed mess. The Alatriste books are rather thin on plot, but if one book does not a movie make, trying to film all of them does not work either. I am not interested in a slavish recreation of the books. But in trying to cram in so much, they have also left out too much.

A movie based on the first two books would have been suffcient.

"Alatriste" is an epic film from Spain dealing with the life and adventures of Captain Diego Alatriste, a soldier during Philip IV's reign.

The movie tries to cover the events set forth in five of Arturo Pérez-Reverte's novels about the Captain in a mere 145 minutes. I've only read two books in the series. Where the film dealt with events in the books I knew, it came across as a painfully abbreviated Cliffs Notes version of the source material. Once it moved into unfamiliar territory, I enjoyed it more.

I think "Alatriste" will be enjoyed most by viewers completely unfamiliar with the books. Taken on its own the film is an entertaining, if slightly confusing, swashbuckler. Although there are plenty of thrilling battle scenes and duels, this isn't a simple action picture; some knowledge of 17th century Spanish history will certainly help the viewer understand the major plot points.

This was the most expensive movie ever produced in Spain, and the money spent on it shows in the final product. The production is first rate, with an excellent cast headed by Viggo Mortensen as Alatriste. The costumes and sets are exceptional, and the cinematography gives the film an atmosphere reminiscent of a fine old painting.

Fans of the books will be disappointed. "Alatriste" would have been improved by devoting the entire film to the events of just the first book. Or, the Spanish producers could have taken a page from the Hollywood play book and given us a series of sequels. There is certainly enough interesting material in the books to sustain several movies.

The Fox International DVD (Regions 1 and 4) has scene selection and features language tracks in either Spanish (Castellano) or Portuguese; subtitles are available in English or Portuguese.

The Alatriste books are wonderful, amazing historical recreations, brilliantly plotted and intricate mysteries. I had high hopes for this movie, which clearly had a substantial budget. Viggo Mortensen is perfectly cast as Alatriste. However, the filmmakers erred by trying to compress the entire series into one movie. It plays like an outline or summary. There is little character development and less coherency. A much better approach would have been to focus only on the first novel and produce a faithful adaptation. Even if Mortensen (or funding) proved unavailable for sequels, that would have been a far more satisfying movie.

All this being said, the movie looks great. I believed I was looking at early 17th century Spain (and Flanders). I believed that the characters represented authentic types. As a fencer, I was less pleased with the fight scenes, which mostly seemed rushed and perfunctory and not convincingly choreographed.

Recommendation: See it for the recreation of Spain as it began to decline from its peak of glory, and for Viggo Mortensen wearing one of the great movie moustaches of all time. Just don't expect greatness.

The previous reviewer has done a good job describing the different plots so there's no need for repetition here.
This is a great movie and by far the best role I've seen Mortensen play. The settings and costumes are beautiful and the story, though sometimes difficult to follow, always keeps the viewer interested. But it's Mortensen's character that is particularly well portrayed. He's not the perfect hero at all. Capable of cruelty and deception somehow we still warm to him and admire him. And that's Mortensen's achievement. All the sub-plots come together well too. For those of us who think that it's more and more rare to see a 'new' movie because most of what's produced today is basically a re-hash of the usual stories and themes, then here's one worth watching and something different from the usual Hollywood mass production.

Alatriste brings to the screen the story of a Spanish mercenary who made a name for himself fighting in the wars in the Netherlands in the first half of the 17th Century.
The film brings to the screen several stories, which are unfolding simultaneously: Firstly, Captain Diego Alatriste, and his turbulent life, secondly (and to a much lesser extent), Spain's involvement in the Netherlands and its steady decline, and thirdly the religious wars between Catholics and Protestants.
The movie sheds light on the intrigues of the Spanish court, and provides valuable insight into a very important period of Spanish (and European) History.
In addition, we get a taste (though a very light one) of 17th Century European politics.
Moreover, we get to see and hear about the infamous Spanish Holy Inquisition.
Viggo Mortensen (!!!), and the rest of the cast have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding to say the least! All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows!
The setting, the dialogues, and the costumes are all wonderful!
In a nutshell, though slow at times and difficult to follow, Alatriste will surely provide for an evening's entertainment!

I highly recommend this movie. The scenery is fabulous, everything looks like a Velasquez painting. The story is interesting and Viggo brings the beloved Alatriste to life.

The acting is top-notch. The movie is in Spanish with English sub-titles.

If you want to spend a couple of hours watching a good, old-fashioned swashbuckling adventure, this is the movie for you.

It may even lead you back to the books which are excellent.

It would be worth seeing this movie for the photography alone! Absolutely superb, with every shot like a masterpiece of painting. Beautifully told in poetic language. (I saw it in the Spanish version). Viggo Mortensen was perfectly cast, giving a brilliant performance as the soldier-turned-mercenary to the Spanish empire, portraying a weary warrior with a noble heart. A movie that appeals to so many senses and that could easily be seen more than once, because there is so much to take in, and for the quality of the photography alone, it could be enjoyed many times over. Thumbs up to the director of photography, the director, to Viggo, to the rest of the excellent cast, as well as the script-writer!

I have read all the Captain Alatriste books and I think the reason so much is put into the movie is for others who have not. Rather than base the movie on one or two of the books, which are really a thread of his lifetime anyway, this movie rather contains the highlights of the captain's life and times. I loved the costumes -- they were more than I would have imagined. I was shocked that Viggo spoke all his lines in Spanish and how magically the captain came to life because of it. The blood and guts of the wars; the suffering of the soldiers on both sides; and the low value of life in his times are very much represented. The books put me in mind of the old "swashbuckling" films of the 50s, but this movie elevated the subject to a much more meaningful level.

A must see for Viggo fans. He does an excellent job as the intrepid Capitan Alatriste, brave, tough, cynical, romantic and true.

This movie is, quite simply, the beloved books brought to life. Spain is depicted in both it's glory and it's squalor. The viewer is immediately immersed in this world of love, honor, duty, lies and betrayal. Viggo Mortensen *is* Alatriste. For any history enthusiast, this movie should be on the list of "don't miss" as well as for any fans of Viggo Mortensen.