Antonio Dechent, Ariadna Gil, Blanca Portillo

Set during the 16th century war in Flanders, the tale of a rogue mercenary and his adventures.

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44% liked it

18,019 ratings

Unrated, 2 hrs. 27 min.

Directed by: Agustín Díaz Yanes

Release Date: December 22, 2006

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Flixster Reviews (392)


  • December 26, 2008
    I was expecting the worst movie ever, but it turns out to be much better than expected ? although still bad.
    Actually, Viggo is quit good, the aesthetic aspects of the film are decent, they lack the experience of Holywood technicians for big productions but they compensate with a...( read more) reasonable amount of originality and ambition. The film almost never looks cheap (except the last sequence which is a total screw up).
    Much of the problems come directly from the novels of Arturo Perez-Reverte. They are not very good in themselves but make for a pretty enjoyable read during a long train journey. Actually, they'd make for a perfect material for an adaptation on the silver screen. Unfortunately, for some reason the producers decided to adapt not one of the novels but five of the six episods of the series in one go. Useless to say that as a result it is simply impossible to understand the plot. Another huge problem is the fact that the film tried to translate directly what makes the interest of the novels (the danger and suspense resulting from the intrigues of the court) but really rarely makes for interesting film material. On the other hand, stuff that would really make for gripping screen action (duels, battles, gunfights) but are not so fun to read about are not very much developed.
    Basically instead of slavishly adapting the novels they should have simply used the inspiration for some good Errol Flynnesque 21st century action movie, it might have been a European answer to Pirates of the Caribbeans, instead it turned out to be some half-baked mess, if it wasn't for Viggo it would have no interest at all.
  • March 2, 2009
    Might have been better with subtitles.
  • March 1, 2009
    It seemed i didn't get the whole point of the movie, too long, boring, some great scenes but but... >>"
  • February 6, 2009
    God, I was so dissappointed by this movie.. As the minutes went by, I couldn't wait for it to end! It was so boooring..
  • December 10, 2008
    no thanks not my kinda thing
  • August 15, 2008
    Espanyaye gharne 17 va zendegye jangju haye aan zaman. Yek film darbareye sherafat va arzesh haye zendegy dar zaman haye sakht. Ideal baraye Iran. Hatman bebinin.
  • July 13, 2008
    I accidentally caught this on cable the other day, recognizing Viggo and thinking what the heck? Viggo was in a Spanish movie? And they dubbed him?

    Duh, I forgot Viggo grew up in South America, and speaks Spanish fluently...which I must say he did a fantastic job in Alatriste, h...( read more)e learned the local accent of Leon region, the area his character is from, and delivered his lines like a 16th Century Leonese.

    There is a lot to love about this film....the costuming, the acting/great cast, the fight/war sequences, the music....just the overall atmosphere captured by the director really was amazing in recreating 16th Century Europe....probably thanks also in part to a nice budget.

    I also am big on my historic pieces...which unfortunately was also part of the "bad"...I myself need to take a refresher on Spanish/European history...and particularly 16th-17th Century is a pretty complex period of time, the movie went headfirst into a lot of situations without a whole lot of explanation. The film itself was already pretty long...it could've standed to be a little longer for pacing and explanation as to what was going on half of the time. Probably didn't help either that I didn't have subtitles (pinche Megacable doesn't seem to provide captions) to help me follow all the Castillian Spanish dialog.

    The highlight for me were the war scenes....extremely well done, and the portrayal of Alatriste by Viggo the director, and cinematographer worked so well....calling back to times of REAL swashbuckling chivalry and honor. Additionally, Roque Baños really outdid himself in scoring this film! Good film that hopefully will be out on Region 1 DVD soon, I'd love to see it again w/ subtitles and extras that hopefully will help out with the historical settings.
  • July 10, 2008
    awesome! viggo speaks great spanish and with the accent and everything what can be sexier than that, besides he is already hot! so there you go one hell of a good reason to watch this film, other one the film is incredible, the cast, the set, the landscapes, the battles, everythi...( read more)ng is just great, besides it has romance in it, suspense, drama and lot of action!
  • July 10, 2008
    this is a really good movie!
  • June 25, 2008
    I admit, I probably wouldn't have given this a second thought if it weren't for Viggo. But the thought of seeing it with two of my idols (he and David Cronenberg were both present at the TIFF screenings I attended) was too much! Thank you Viggo for kissing David ten feet away fro...( read more)m me. :)

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  • mattmartinez11
    September 6, 2007
    Is this thing ever going to be released in the U.S.?

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  • Viggo Mortensen appears in the film "Alatriste", a film unusual in what regard?   Answer »

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