Customer Reviews

Sharpe's Justice [VHS]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

1814 - the war is over, and Sharpe, like many other unemployed soldiers, goes back to England to seek work. He is assigned to Yorkshire, where he was born, as head of local yeomen serving a corrupt cotton mill baron that oppresses the workers. As Sharpe discovers things are not as black and white as they seem, which side will he choose? The people he left 20 years ago, or the establishment that's fed him for all those years?

This is an original story, not based on any of the novels, but it's interesting for a couple of reasons. One is that it firmly establishes that the TV Sharpe at least is born in Yorkshire - a given, because of Sean Bean's accent, but in the books he was supposed to be a Londoner. Another, more historical reason, is that it deals with the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars in England, which Cornwell never did get around to doing. It is true that the countryside was filled with many now jobless soldiers, and also true that the Industrial Revolution was starting to make its presence felt. While the labour movement may not have started this early, it's still an interesting look at the times. But is it Sharpe?

As much as I'm not fond of Sharpe's previous return to England (see my review of "Sharpe's Regiment"), I find myself liking this one, just to see Sharpe's backstory being developed. We find out more about how he grew up, his regret at not knowing who his mother was, and how uncomfortable Sharpe is with the war hero image that he's earned. As an added bonus, we get to see the incredibly beautiful and sexy Caroline Langrishe back as Lady Anne Camoyne, whose skills at political intrigue pull Sharpe out of the fire yet again. I'll even forgive them for adding the estranged Jane Sharpe to the mix, as the little minx actually shows a little fire of her own (the last scene with Sharpe here is particularly harsh).

If the series had ended here it would have been a fine coda (albeit with a few loose ends). But we know it doesn't, not when there's the biggest of battles to fight. So it becomes just a little filler in between "Revenge" and that little contretemps at Waterloo...

The formula for Sharpe's success is fairly straightforward: a good dose of military mayhem, strong (and often quirky) supporting characters, beautiful ladies (preferably a new one each episode), period locales and costumes, and - most importantly - a gorgeous hero, and you're almost guaranteed success. We all know Sharpe is brilliant as a swashbuckling Napoleonic soldier, out on the front lines (of the battlefield or the bedroom, it really doesn't matter...)

But 'Justice' tampers with this formula, and the film suffers for it. It's one of the two Sharpe films (made in the 1990s for British ITV) that is based on an original script, not a Cornwell novel.

Instead of his usual stomping-ground, the Peninsular Wars, Sharpe is at home in Yorkshire in 'Justice'. Here we have an innate problem: we feel most at home with Sharpe when he's out capturing Eagles or laying siege to French castles. Here, the military element is missing, so Sharpe must instead find enemies in the local robber-baron aristocracy (and his unprintable word of a wife, the harridan Jane, who ran off with a foppish aristocrat but unfortunately inherited a house right next door to where Sharpe is stationed).

Add into the mix the tired cliche of The Unknown Brother Whom One Grew Up With But Did Not Realise Was A Relative, and what the viewer is left with is a rather unsatisfying exploit in the British countryside. Sure, Sharpe does eventually save the day (after a great deal of emotional bandying-about), but the bravado and adrenaline of the Continent is missing, and it shows.

If there is one thing that I have learned from the first dozen adventures of Major Richard Sharpe (Sean Bean), maverick British officer from the Napoleonic Wars, it is that the only time our hero takes direct and final action against an enemy is when the script is not based on one of Bernard Cornwell's novels, which is the case with "Sharpe's Justice." In the previous outing, "Sharpe's Revenge," his target was the French spymaster Major Ducos, who had framed Sharpe for stealing Napoleon's treasure. But as Sergeant Harper (Daragh O'Malley) pointed out, Ducos was only the first half of Sharpe's revenge. Waiting fearfully in their bed back in England are Sharpe's errant wife, Jane (Abigail Cruttenden), and her lover, the impoverished Lord Rossendale (Alexis Denisof). However, even though Napoleon has been defeated and is mulling his fate on the island of Elba, Sharpe is still a serving office in His Majesty's Army and is posted to Yorkshire where the Mill workers are about to revolt.

This thirteenth of the fourteen Sharpe films is a strange one, and not just because Sharpe is in England and away from Wellington and the War. While it does touch on the wretched conditions that Hagman (John Tams) and the other soldiers of Wellington's army were confronted with when they returned home, it has a lot of soap opera elements. It turns out that Sharpe is from Yorkshire and the orphanage where he was raised is still in operation and Sally Bunting (Karen Meagher) who took care of him when he was a wee lad has some rather important news to relate about Sharpe's family. Then there is Truman (Philip Glenister), who was Sharpe's friend when they were in the orphanage, if you count fighting all the time as friendship.

Of course it would not be a Sharpe story if there was not some friction between our hero and some idiot officer, and this time around it is young Wickham (Douglas Henshall), who fancies himself quite a swordsman, a skill he developed safe in England. We all know that there is a difference between dueling in front of lords and ladies versus swordplay to kill or be killed, but Wickham will have to learn that on his own. There is intrigue going on with the mills to complicate everything, especially after the troops Sharpe commands disobey his orders and start slaughtering mill workers, and it is up to Sharpe, Harper and Hagman to help set things to rights.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of "Sharpe's Justice" is that the script by Patrick Harbinson (with additional material by John Tams) stripes away the last thoughts of affection we might have towards Jane Sharpe. It was not bad enough that she was persuaded to abandon her husband on the Continent, clean out his bank account, and be seduced by a penniless nobleman, this time around she decides to add insult to injury by being repentant about her actions. Ironically, Rossendale thinks more highly of Sharpe than does his own wife, so I think it is clear that the bed she had made is going to be a lonely one for her in the end. But the way she is presented in this penultimate film of the Sharpe series that is far less than she deserves.

There is only the last adventure, "Sharpe's Waterloo" to come in this fine series. It makes sense that the makers of this series would see a need to give more of a sense of the brief peace that existed while Napoleon was exiled on Elba. Next time around Wellington will face Napoleon for the final time and I have no doubt that Sharpe and Rossendale will somehow end up crossing paths on the battlefield. I will be sad to see the series end, but I know there are all those Cornwell novels out there to enjoy.

Sharpe's Justice is an oddity in that it is set in England in 1814, with the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution and social unrest.

It doesn't work well, though.

The Peterloo massacre, in which yeomanry killed several people and injured many more in Manchester in 1819 is relocated here in Keighley Town Square in 1814.

Sharpe gets the blame, but in reality, the Prince Regent, Home Secretary and others appplauded this action as a necessary one against revolutionaries.

The brother of Sharpe is introduced, briefly, and coincidence throws Rossendale and Jane back into Sharpe's remit. Rossendale is said to have been a friend of Sharpe, and though he briefly appeared in Sharpe's Regiment, I think, he was hardly on close terms with our hero.

The conclusion is rather fudged. Sharpe changes sides, but when we discover the villains are who they are, he's welcomed back by a decent specimen of the gentry.

Finally, Sharpe would not have been allowed to flit back to France at the end of the story because he would have been needed for trials, inquests and enquiries into the numerous unlawful deaths which occur n this story.

This story can easily be missed as the viewer finishes Sharpe's Justice and can go straight to Waterloo without missing anything of importance. When first screened, I missed this on without loss.

In this episode, Sharpe has some of the wind taken out of his sails and meets reality head on. For Sharpe and Harper it's not a hero's welcome ! Facing his past, Sharpe renews old friendships (and enemies) from his childhood, but the plot is NOT from one of Cornwell's novels, but was penned in part by John Tams (Rifleman Hagman) and it flows well. The characters are not too "cartoonish" and there is enough intrigue, skullduggery and romance to go around. There are some surprises and some predictable turns, but I was satisfied with the outcome.

After his Revenge and before Waterloo producers of the BBC's Sharpe series tried one more time for an original episode. Taking pieces of Sharpe's history from the Cornwell novels, writer Patrick Harbinson and director Tom Clegg present an uneven mix of Sharpe's past, present, and future with Sharpe's Justice.

Now that Napoleon is in exile in Elba, Major Sharpe (Sean Bean) is posted to his old Yorkshire haunts in support of mill owner Parfitt (Tony Haygarth) and his punky yeoman Wickham (Douglas Henshall). Fellow Yorkshire man Matt Truman (Philip Glenister), however, has inspired the factory workers and other poor townsfolk to rise up against the rich. Even homeless rifleman Daniel Hagman(John Tams) joins this cause. Sharpe is soon torn between friends from his past and the high society pressing him, including Lady Anne Camoynes (Caroline Langrishe) and his wayward wife Jane (Abigail Cruttenden).

It's a lot to cover in one show; Sharpe's family, the state of the war at home, Jane's attempt to climb the social ladder. Despite its effort to show us where Sharpe came from, Sharpe's Justice is not an introductory episode. Nor is it necessarily all about how Sharpe became Sharpe. We've watched twelve previous shows to witness that. Justice is also trying to tie up lose ends in what was then the second to last episode of the series. Hagman and ever present Sergeant Patrick Harper have their moments, and Richard finally confronts Jane about her leaving him and robbing him blind. Is Justice looking towards the old or setting up for the new? You make the call.

At last I have praise for Abigail Cruttenden as Jane. The high society she craved is not exactly what it seems, and in retrospect, life with Sharpe was a lot more passionate. Cruttenden is perfect now that Jane is put in her place and pouting at Sharpe. Bean also continues to shine through the internal conflicts of Richard Sharpe. He is uncomfortable with his past, more likely ashamed. As proud as Sharpe should be of all his accomplishments, he is also once again a man with out a place, a jilted soldier with no one but the wrong people to fight. I would have liked more from Glenister as the Matt Truman. He's little more than a pot faced, toothless, cranky English guy. Karen Meagher as Sally Bunting is also the typical mousy type. They are cute and relate-able, but there could be deep moving characters here. Is this too much to expect from an original Sharpe movie? Maybe- but not from the novels.

After so many episodes of war in Spain and Portugal, it is however a pleasant treat to see Regency England again. The down trodden villages are perhaps small scale, but the dirty and dark looks contrast perfectly with the lush and pomp of the rich mansions and estates. The candlelight in Justice is done perfectly. It's dark in the low pubs, the only source of light and heat; yet it is also elegant and bright amid party parlors and chandeliers. I must also say that Sharpe and Harper look smashing on horseback. The beautiful animals and wooded locales give Justice a fine touch. We do see a bit of what Sharpe has been fighting for all these years-yes the pomp of England, but also the lovely country itself and a people in need of hope.

Sharpe's Justice doesn't get super deep or serious, but since when does that stop one's enjoyment of this show? There's plenty of action, romance, and period drama, even if Justice never decides what direction it's really taking. It's as if Revenge, Justice, and Waterloo are meant as one film in three parts. Each gets us one step closer to the end while honoring this crazy Napoleonic ride we've been on. The DVDs are available in box set or as part of the complete collection. Justice is not the place to introduce a new viewer to Sharpe, but it's a must for any Sharpe enthusiast.

This product meets all requirements, I have viewed it, disk is average. Price is average, handling and shipping fees are average.

As an insight into the exploited class conflict of the pre-Industrial Revolution and hypocrisy of the Crown, this is useful; as a DVD and as a Sharpe "adventure", this is best rented or better yet obtained without charge from a public library. It is overly long, often a bore and trite and on the whole a disappointing waste of otherwise superb talent.

The film is worthy to be included with the other Sharpe's collections. What I noticed the most about this film and the ones after this one in the series are that the bad guys are starting to be anoying characters. What I mean is that they tend to be wimps, cowards, and scheming all the time. It hardly matches that of the bad guys in the other films where they fight for the wrong side but atleast they contain some sort of solder's honor.
I would consider this film the epiloge of the whole colection. The Waterloo episode spikes up in action again but this one feels more like an ending to all of the episodes. The plot is a bit old fashioned where he goes and looks for his mom's indentity and ends up being involved in a conflict between landowners and peasants.
The customes in all of these series are always a plus and seems to come straight from the theaters themselves. The details are rich as well as the plot. This episode wasn't my most favorite and it isn't my least favorite but it falls nicely in between and lenghtens your love for the Sharpe series.
I recomend this one as long as you've seen the other ones first.

I love Sharpe and i love the books to so buy the dvd's and books

lov Strawberry