filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Stephan Hammond It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Kayden This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

bkoganbing Like so many contract players in the days of the studio system decline in the Fifties Stewart Granger found himself looking for work and taking it where he could find it after MGM let him go in the late Fifties. He found work in Europe and in this particular swashbuckler Swordsman Of Siena which was released in America by his old studio MGM. Later on he would be doing spaghetti westerns.But the swashbuckler was a film genre Granger was as comfortable and looked as comfortable as Errol Flynn. He's a mercenary, an Englishman working for whoever hires him and in this case it is Spanish captain Riccardo Garrone. Back in those days of the 16th century most of Italy was part of the Spanish empire either under Emperor Charles V or King Phillip,II of Spain. In this particular part of Italy, Tuscany they're not crazy about the occupying Spanish governor Garrone and his enforcer brother Fausto Tozzi.Garrone wants to employ Granger as personal bodyguard to Sylva Koscina the daughter of the local Italian noble. She tolerates Garrone for the sake of the father, her sister Christine Kaufman is far less so.There's a horse race which is the town's biggest event about to be held and it's more like the chariot race from Ben-Hur. With just about the same rules applying. The Spanish occupiers always win as a matter of propaganda and pride. Granger upsets a whole lot of plans.In films like Moonfleet and The Prisoner Of Zenda, Stewart Granger showed he mastered the art of the swashbuckler. This one is all right entertainment, but hardly in the same league as those other films from his glory days at MGM. Better than those spaghetti westerns to come.

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.

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.

Jaap_Zuurkool It's about an 16th-century english swordsman who has to protect a noblewoman. She is not particularly interested in having a protector. The noblewoman lives in an italian village where the people live under the reign of a dictator. There is also a secret group called 'The Ten', which is trying to free the village. When the swordsman sees what is going on he switches allegiance...