Glorious TV, especially for those who like action. The Sharpe series has to be the best TV ever, and for what we are frequently told is a low budget series, the cast and crew have worked miracles. Each episode could have stood alone as a theatre film, especially during the school holidays. Not only are the leads superb in their roles, but the guest stars, such as James Purefoy and John Kavanagh are top drawer, and where do they find these magnificent singers? A lot of the enjoyment for me is listening to the beautiful clear singing unaccompanied by instrumental backing. Location scenery, battles, sword fighting, humour and camaraderie. What more can you ask. The rollicking 'Boy's Own' adventure is rarely seen these days. HBO in particular seems to offer splendidly photographed soft core porn. Sharpe usually gets the girl as there is a damsel in distress every time, but the sex, if any, is kept off screen so the children can watch this series - although any romance probably go right over their heads. Best of all, the series has humour but avoids the mawkish sentimentality that so many American shows fall into. I loved the spectacular locations, and felt for the actors as one could see the breath coming out of their mouths in the freezing cold. The battles, cannon, muskets and confusion, with dead and dying soldiers were very realistic. The sword fights are not the fancy fencing of Errol Flynn and Cornel Wilde, they are hard, violent, smashing and slashing fights to the death. Running the opponent through is the way to finish them off. Possible spoiler ahead:My only faults with this episode, aside from the casting of the irritating Emily Mortimer, who always looks ready to weep, is the unlikely fight between Sharpe and Leroux the day after Sharpe had been snatched from the jaws of death having taken a deep cut to the shoulder which had to be stitched up by Ms. Mortimer, followed by her digging a musket ball out of his intestines which were already festering. Sharpe then developed a fever which was treated by dunking him in icy water, then being cuddled by Ms. Mortimer overnight. Next morning, bright as a button he is leading his men in a charge on the French fort, and wielding a very heavy sword ending with the aforementioned duel. Give me a break! The nine lives of Richard Sharpe. The other puzzle was why Lord Pierce did not expose or kill Leroux when he had the chance, rather than acting as devil's advocate at the petition to revoke Leroux's parole. After watching my DVD set, I am definitely going to read the books.

All of the usual elements of a Sharpe adventure are here: intrigue, in the person of a French spy-catcher and possible traitors within the English ranks; romance, in the form of a mute girl who nurses a wounded Sharpe back to health after a bloody night action; and another terrific battle recreation as Sharpe's riflemen attempt to overrun a french fort outside the town of Villafranca. The usual cast are superb, as ever, and Michael Cochrane nearly steals the movie as arrogant aristocrat Sir Henry Simmerson. Look for Emily Mortimer as the mute girl.As usual, the best aspect of the film is its wonderfully authentic period detail and lovely Spanish scenery. Recommended.

I totally agree with the in-depth review already submitted. This episode of the Sharpe series is my all-time favorite and the character of Lord Jack and the performance by James Purefoy have become a must -see every few months or so! I own all fourteen of the Sharpe series and annually play them in sequence. James Purefoy's portrayal of the tragic figure of Lord Jack and the tension-fraught scene in the library are worthy of any first-line production in the theater. You can tell I am a huge Sharpe fan (Sean Bean being the ultimate action hero of all time!) and I really feel sorry for people who have missed this engrossing and intelligently researched and produced series! Bernard Cornwell, author of the novels from which Sharpe is taken, is an outstanding writer and I recommend his other works to all. If you are a reader, try one of his many engrossing historical novels.

Sharpe's Sword is one of the more complicated stories. There's a French officer changing identities to hide the fact that he's actually a Colonel named Leroux who has been sent to assassinate a mysterious British agent named El Mirador. Confused yet? Meanwhile, Sharpe also rescues a young woman who doesn't speak, so she is given the name Lass, and despite Sharpe's efforts to pawn her off, Lass continues to stick to Sharpe like glue, even sleeping in his tent at night. There's a hidden code, traitors, spies, Priests, and a subplot of Harper being forced to marry Ramona, the mother of his child. The story is even more complicated than that, but this is all I'll say. The story takes some big leaps this time, revolving around the possible death of Sharpe. Even though for a lot of the movie they're not in contact, Sharpe and Harper have a great dynamic between them. While in the past the loyalty between the two of them was always there, this movie gives some insight into their relationship. Unlike some other reviewers, I didn't mind the character of Lass. Of course she's not as good as La Marquesa, but come on, La Marquesa was the best female character the series ever had. And considering Lass only speaks a few words during the entire movie, her character was still better developed than several other female characters in the series. I have to say that the real treat of Sharpe's Sword is the unexpected return of Simmerson, the original pompous, bumbling, fool of a British Officer. I believe Henry Simmerson to be one of the reasons why Sharpe's Eagle was so popular, and next to only Obadiah Hakeswill, Simmerson is the best villain this series had. The scene between him and Lass is the best example of why he's so good. Sir Henry Simmerson is a character who is so disgustingly vile that I almost wish they'd given him his own spinoff series. There's also the addition of Spears to the cast. The one scene where Sharpe confronts him is one of the strongest points of the movie. It's not often that an actor can upstage Sean Bean, but James Purefoy did it. Great dramatic writing in that scene, and great dramatic writing all around. Sharpe's Sword was the first script Eoghan Harris had done since Sharpe's Enemy, my favorite movie of the series. There's something about the scripts that Eoghan Harris writes that completely captures the adventure and excitement. As always, there are multiple showdowns that end in swordfights. First there's the fight between Simmerson and the character who is eventually revealed to be El Mirador. I love taking pleasure in viewing Simmerson in pain and agony. Like I said before, disgusting villain, brilliant character. I'll go as far as to say that the best fight scene of the entire Sharpe series is the one between Sharpe and Leroux. What makes it work is that both men are badly beaten and in serious pain the whole time. The fact that they can barely stand on their feet brings some urgency to the fight. The real showdown of the movie is between Harper and the Priest. Sure, they don't fight, but it's a very funny scene that perfectly ends the movie on the right note. Sharpe's Sword is definitely the best movie since Sharpe's Enemy, and one of the very best of the series.