I love the books, although it was the films that I first discovered. The films are still great stories, but I think there are too many discrepancies compared to the books. Sean Bean is excellent as Richard Sharpe, but some of the other characters don't match the description in the books. Teresa did not even appear in this book and she was not the leader of Spanish resistance when Sharpe first met her. She was 11 years younger than him, not 2 years older as between the actors. The Spanish Major was the same age as Sharpe, not his Father's age. They have mixed at least two of the books together here, which is a shame as each book is great and has a story to tell. Otherwise it is a fun and entertaining war/adventure story.

What red-blooded girl could argue with 102 minutes of a mud-smeared Sean Bean swashbuckling in tight breeches? (Excuse me while I have an attack of the vapors...) It's a fun movie with a lot of action and great costumes, acting, and production values. BUT. . . I think the strong point of this series of movies is that it's likely to make you want to read the series of novels by Bernard Cornwell. Even for people who don't normally like to read historical/military fiction, they're a rollicking great read and packed with fascinating detail and character development. The movie is a tasty appetizer; the book is a satisfying meal. In this case, watching the movie won't ruin the book for you, and vice versa. Differences aside, they're done in the same spirit.

For those of you who AREN'T hearing impaired, this is a great series. The DVDs aren't exactly laden with exclusive features, but the Sharpe series is a compelling retelling of an exciting period of world history. And Sean Bean is, as always, great. Check them out!

If you like tall Irishmen, Bean's buddy and sergeant major, O'Malley is a great actor. He's also in "Withnail and I", that crazy movie, as a queer-baiter. He and Bean are friends off screen as well. So you mix the fighting with the love interests and you've got a great excuse for a series. And what makes it easier, is that we're not in the stinking jungles of Vietnam or the arid mountains of Afghanistan, or high overhead in a cowardly bomber, bringing death to the innocent civilians. We're actually fighting a war as men to men, bringing the women along. And they weren't necessarily camp followers, but wives who didn't want to wait half their lives for their men to come back from war. Of course, the wonderful thing is the writing, the language. Most of the officers are depicted as fragging-worthy and I love it, even if my son is a Major in Kabul right now. But at least these guys led their men into the gut-eviscerating experiences of battle. Would love to know the truth.....what actually happened in these stupid exercise in butchery. My father said that war was great population control, but I wonder if men don't actually crave it. This certainly made war glorious, even when they're putting the leeches and maggots in the wounds to eat up the putrefaction.Please buy the whole series...it's well worth it, because you can see the individual battles and not feel that you've been cheated of the continuity....except where Sharpe's wives are concerned. And here's a surprise, most of the movie is quite logical. When someone dies, you don't see their eyes move. If Pete Postlewaite is in it, you can be sure it's worth watching as well. He's the officer who flogged Sharpe before he got his commission. And he plays a bully beautifully. I love it, as do most, when the underdog wins (such as our great New England Patriots in the Super Bowl) and you'll feel wonderfully about it too, unless you're a Frenchie. When do we see the French version?.