Trivia

The movie was director Paul Verhoeven's reaction to the many movies that, in his view, overly romanticized the Middle Ages. He wanted to show it as a period where brutality, disease, poverty, and hardship were common, and a natural death was a rare thing.

Director Paul Verhoeven and Rutger Hauer had so many arguments on the set that the crew insisted that they quarrelled in English so they could understand what all of the discussions were about.

There was so much competition for screen presence amongst the actors that some of them started to call the movie "Flesh+Blood+Elbows", in the sense that some cast members would literally use their elbows to push others out of frame.

Paul Verhoeven and Rutger Hauer had previously collaborated on five projects. However, tensions rose so high during production of this movie that they never worked together again. Following Hauer's death in 2019, Verhoeven stated that they had made amends in the last ten years of Hauer's life.

The production was plagued by adversities. There was great animosity amongst the Spanish, American, and Dutch crew and cast members. Actors were using alcohol and drugs on the set, while wind, heavy snowfall, and cold often disrupted filming, causing the movie to go over budget. Director Paul Verhoeven called it the worst filming experience of his life, one that made him consider quitting making movies altogether.

Paul Verhoeven: [religious imagery] Martin's group idolizes the statue of a saint, which "points" them the way forward. In one shot Martin appears to have a halo over his head.