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01/26/06
On Guard (1997)
87
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:30
Fresh:26
Rotten:4
Average Rating:7/10
Consensus: A spirited, old-fashioned swashbuckler.
Runtime: 2 hrs 8 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Synopsis: This superb swashbuckler stars Daniel Auteuil as Legardere, a swordsman in 18th-century France who befriends his fellow fencing student, the dashing Duke de Nevers (Vincent Perez), only to wind up... [More]
Starring: Daniel Auteuil, Fabrice Luchini, Vincent Perez, Marie Gillain
Director: Phillippe De Broca
Reviews for On Guard
Top CriticClick to read the article
01/04/03
Top CriticClick to read the article
06/15/03
Top CriticClick to read the article
10/05/03
Top CriticClick to read the article
10/18/08
Top CriticIt has a dashing and resourceful hero; a lisping, reptilian villain; big fights; big hair; lavish period scenery; and a story just complicated enough to let you bask in your own cleverness as you figure it out.
10/17/02
Top CriticAn awkward and indigestible movie.
01/03/03
The film's frenetic action takes place across beautifully rendered landscapes, and the ever-lunging ambitiousness and ingenuity in its wordplay justifies the fencing term employed for the film's release in America.
11/06/02
In the spirit of Voltaire and Molière, On Guard volleys great wit and deadly gestures in a milieu of lush apparel, landscapes, captivating music and 18th-century lacy sleeves.
12/27/02
Though it lacks the utter authority of a genre gem, there’s a certain robustness to this engaging mix of love and bloodletting.
11/11/02
This far-fetched adventure tale might be old-fashioned, but it's also one of the best swashbucklers in movie history.
10/18/02
Touché!
01/24/03
It was too silly and formulaic to get my undivided attention.
03/23/04
The sword fighting is well done and Auteuil is a goofy pleasure.
11/27/02
Sometimes, nothing satisfies like old-fashioned swashbuckling. And in this regard, On Guard delivers.
01/24/03
Old-fashioned but thoroughly satisfying entertainment.
10/15/02
A big, gorgeous, sprawling swashbuckler that delivers its diversions in grand, uncomplicated fashion.
12/20/02
No review available.
07/21/05
De Broca (who also co-wrote with Jean Cosmos) gives it a frisky energy.
11/08/02
Vastly enjoyable--a stylish, affectionate, old-fashioned swashbuckler...staged with such elan that the result is completely winning.
01/21/03
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