dbdumonteil
Siena in the sixteenth century called the Spanish for help :litle did they know (and they were naive) that their protectors would be here to stay and that they would become dictators.His excellency wants to marry Henrietta ,a high born lovely wealthy lady ;but the little sister ,Serenella,does not agree and she tells her so:he is responsible for the death of their father;enter a mercenary (Granger),whose mission is to protect the governor's future wife.This is an entertaining swashbuckler,pleasant to watch:Stewart Granger ,who is going gray (and even white) at the temples ,is always dashing,dynamic ,and full of humor;he is good at fencing and Sylva Koscina is not chopped liver either;Christine Kauffmann is gorgeous as the little sister ;even if we guess the truth about Henrietta long before the end,the story is so eventful we never get bored.Now tongue in cheek,now tragical (the death of the kid sister),with a nasty cousin Hugo,fond of tortures, ten rebels (check the title)against tyranny and a Robin Hood feel:very entertaining stuff!
ragosaal
This is a pretty much standard swashbuckler. The story is not original at all: the fight against tyrany in colorful Siena (Italy) with the usual hero that starts by hiring his sword to the dictator but in time starts to change his mind and joins the just cause.The soldier of fortune is here played by Stewart Granger a correct actor in my opinion. But what really is interesting in the film is the swordplay choreography most enjoyable indeed; perhaps Granger is no Errol Flynn but he doesn't lack some sort of elegance at it (just as he did 10 years before in the classic "Scaramouche"). Also in the cast Sylvia Koscina was a beautiful woman and an acceptable actress and Christine Kaufamnn is a beautiful woman.If you enjoy cape and sword films you will enjoy this one for sure but don't expect a classic and not even a great movie.
hkfilmbuff
The last sword-wielding swashbuckling adventure starring Stewart Granger that I am aware of, (two others that came before were "Scaramouche" and "The Prisoner of Zenda"). If you enjoyed the relatively recent "The Mask of Zorro" with Antonio Banderas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Anthony Hopkins, you will not be disappointed with these classics. Granger was one of the few actors - besides Mel Ferrer and Basil Rathbone, possessing convincing fencing expertise. I have always preferred his movies to those of Errol Flynn. Captivating sword fights, handsome heroes and beautiful heroines, smart and humorous dialog without the vulgarities permeating the movies of the last few decades. Sylva Koscina was beautiful with an attitude. Christine Kaufmann was just eye-candy, possibly intended as a contrast to Koscina.
blakduke
This one of the best of the genre. the swordplay is fantastic and the costumes excellent. the only fault i find is the dubbing. The plot is a bit thin but who cares. If you like swordplay the technical aspects of this film are hard to beat. The character that Granger plays is one that he seems to be at home with. The wit and banter between him and his co-star are funny and to the point. The film lacked only the final duel, between Granger and the villain. The end I felt was anti-climatic. However the beauty of Sylva Koscina more than makes up for the films shortcomings. In my opinion they could have come up with someone other than Christine Kaufman for the secondary female role.