Really Surprised!

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Best movie ever!

While not quite as romantic as the previous feature film, SHARPE'S CHALLENGE, this action-packed adventure is a wonderful farewell to the bad boy English rifleman and his colorful friends and enemies. Personally, I would have ended the series at the end of SHARPE'S CHALLENGE, when Sharpe has the opportunity to marry a loyal, courageous, and truly stunning general's daughter and become a general himself in the famed East India Company. But instead, Sharpe is just trying to get home, and he is roped into escorting a spoiled French beauty through the Indian countryside, and villains are after her, and one thing just leads to another till pretty soon Sharpe is like Moses leading dozens of castaways in search of safety and a new beginning. Where CHALLENGE had the feeling of an Arabian Nights adventure, with most of the action among Indian palaces and Royalty, PERIL is more rugged and down to earth, with a virtual "wagon train" journeying through hostile territory like an old fashioned American Western. There are battles every ten minutes and sword fights every five minutes. Sharpe's followers include a lot of Western types familiar from movies like STAGECOACH and MAJOR DUNDEE. The useless missionary, the plucky pregnant woman, the loyal Indian companion, the drunken or lazy troopers, all have their parts to play. What lifts the story above Western territory, however, is the way in which Sharpe himself is forced to look for closure to his personal dramas. Some of his most deadly enemies reappear (or their sons do) and there are some unexpected discoveries on all sides. The most poignant scenes in the story all revolve around Sharpe coming to terms with past regrets and resolving conflicts. All of it was wonderful, even if Sharpe's French blonde love interest in PERIL isn't quite as demure or winning as English blonde love interest in CHALLENGE. But both movies are Sharpe classics, both great farewells to a true hero!

SHARPE'S PERIL follows on from SHARPE'S CHALLENGE. Sharpe and Harper are still trying to find their way out of India, although they keep getting sidetracked. They join up with some soldiers currently escorting a prisoner cross-country, and they soon find themselves caught up in conflict after running foul of an opium smuggler. Action, ranging from sword fights to gun battles and a siege, soon follows. SHARPE'S PERIL was broadcast in two separate episodes. The first sets up the action, and is quite talky and heavy on the explanation. The second half is pure action and thoroughly engaging.The two episodes combine to make this one of the best Sharpe adventures yet. Sean Bean has never been better, here playing a grizzled Colonel who's seen too much of warfare and just wants to be out of it all. Daragh O'Malley brings a deft comic touch as Harper, while the other, new cast members are superb. Amit Behl turns what could have been a caricature into an affecting portrayal of a wronged man who retains his dignity, while Velibor Topic is a hateful villain. Beatrice Rosen is a particularly appealing love interest, and gets to show greater depth than most. Kudos also to a returning Michael Cochrane, who looks to be having a ball. With spectacular Indian locations, some excellent stunt work, colourful costumes, a cast of actors and actresses prepared to give it their all, and plenty of emotion to go along with the action, SHARPE'S PERIL is the best that television has to offer. A splendid outing that doesn't suffer in any way from not being based on one of the Bernard Cornwell novels.

Though I personally much prefer Sharpe's Napoleonic series to these Indian installments (Challenge and Peril), but I still find the latest one Sharpe's Peril quite entertaining and really very well watchable.OK, I wish the Indian installments were much closer to the Bernard Cornwell's books, that is if they happened in due time (before Napoleonic wars) and order (somehow in Challenge and Peril they've mixed as much from Indian set of books as they possibly could, though not always for good), but it is still a very great Sharpe's adventure. Just as usual - some quest for good old Sharpe, some girl's heart to win over, and some baddies to defeat. If that is still not enough a reason for you to watch this Sharpe's adventure, maybe a magic word - Simmerson - would do the trick. It did worked for me (And thAaaat was soooo great!). And the very last encounter of Sharpe and Simmerson! One should not miss it, that I'm sure of.

My wife and me are big fans of the series so tuned in this latest 2 parter with anticipation. Unfortunately as the story began to unfold we we felt that that we had been here before. By the end we felt disappointed with the outcome. Although the scenery was magnificent, the story itself just dragged and it was just too clichéd. You just knew what was going to come next...sorry but it's time to draw a close on the TV adventures of Richard Sharpe. I just wish Captain Fredrickson and the chosen men could have magically appeared to give us a break from the Sharpe and Harper show!