Beautifully if somewhat glacially shot in Italy but sorely missing Miklos Rosza's music. Bruce Beresford rolled up his sleeves and got stuck into this throwback to the sort of thing that DeMille had made so profitably for Paramount during the twenties & thirties; but who this time took a bath to the tune of $2,500,000 on their original $22 million investment in this implausible project that was probably slightly ahead of it's time, five years before the huge success of 'Gladiator' made ancient history sexy again.

Described by David Thomson as "a genuine eccentricity", it's very much of it's time, including a spot of slow motion swordplay, gorier violence than in the fifties and the scruffy eighties beards and shaggy mullets worn by the men as they address each other in hushed tones.

Based upon the Books of Samuel and Kings of the Holy Bible, this attractive and colorful movie captures the life and times of warrior-king David of Israel, who reigned three thousand years ago. Much of the movie is devoted to King Saul (Edward Woodward), David's predecessor. Woodward's performance is powerful, and captures well the personality of the biblical personage. Richard Gere as David does not make an entry until twenty minutes or so have passed. David does not even become king until the movie is well over half completed. But in general the film is more accurate than typical movies of this genre (for instance, like "Samson and Delilah"), although there are inaccuracies. For instance, the Star of David was introduced centuries after David's time and not while he was alive.

The film commences with King Saul and his officers waiting for the arrival of the prophet Samuel (Denis Quilley). The Amalekites have just been crushed. After Samuel arrives, he tells Saul that he has disobeyed God's commandment and that he has been reproved. Therefore none of his sons will succeed him as king. Samuel then meets with Jesse (Arthur Whybrow) to tell him that one of his sons will be Saul's successor. The elder and more military ones – Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah – are surprisingly rejected (Scripture tells us that there were also other brothers). Jesse tells Samuel that he has another son, a shepherd called David. As he meets with God's approval, David is anointed with oil by Samuel. When the Philistines then assemble their army against the Israelites, they taunt them with their giant hero, Goliath (6'9" Luigi Montefiore, a/k/a George Eastman) and challenge the Israelites to a duel. When David with a simple slingshot unexpectedly defeats Goliath and beheads him, the Philistines flee in fright. Saul remarks, "An entire army at my command, yet it takes a shepherd boy to wipe out our disgrace." David never returns to his father; rather he stays in the military for ten years. Nathan (Niall Buggy) succeeds Samuel as prophet.

David marries Michal (Cherie Lunghi), Saul's youngest daughter. Skillfully playing music with his harp, David soothes the aging Saul's growing melancholy. Saul gradually turns against David, who flees. Pursuing David, Saul murders Ahimelech (Hurd Hatfield) and the high priests, who had given David shelter. Most of the dirty work is done by a gentile, Doeg the Edomite (Christopher Malcolm). Jonathan (Jack Klaff), Saul's son, befriends David, who finally flees to King Akiss (Achish, Tomas Milian) of the Philistines and stays for sixteen months. The Philistines challenge the Israelites to battle. At Gilboa, King Saul is defeated and killed along with his three sons. David's subsequent victory dance meets with Michal's disapproval (According to Scripture, Michal is punished for her action by barrenness). Then again, David does have other wives. He continues to preserve the sacred Ark of the Covenant, which contains the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments.

On a rooftop King David espies Bathsheba (Alice Krige) bathing and is immediately smitten. A complication is that she is married to Uriah. In reality Uriah was a decent husband sent to the forefront of attack by David to assure his death. For his sin, the firstborn son of Bathsheba and David did not survive beyond seven days. Also, David had to live by the sword. God eventually does find favor with David, however, when Solomon is born. But the rebellion of his favorite son Absalom (Jean-Marc Barr) grieves him, especially when he is killed in battle after his long hair gets tangled in a tree. The guilt-ridden David then decides to reform although we do not actually see him performing penance.

Even though we are told that the aging David defeated the Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, and the Edomites, the ending is rather abrupt. Many of his later deeds are covered only in narrative. And David's last instructions to his successor Solomon are not factual. On a positive note, the movie is very attractive, and there are terrific location scenes (filmed in Italy and England) that feature classical symmetrical shots. When there is a battle, the scenes feature many extras and are well-done. In general, this film is a decent movie although not a classic; Edward Woodward's performance as Saul is worth the price of a rental.

It's the life of David (Richard Gere) who would be the King of the Isrealites. Prophet Samuel chooses the youngest son of Jesse of Bethlehem. He dies and leaves a message to King Saul (Edward Woodward) that God has forsaken him but not his people. In the battle against the Philistines, David strikes down the giant Goliath. David befriends Saul's son Jonathan who saves him from Saul's plots against him. After Jonathan and Saul are killed in battle with the Philistines, David is crowned king. The Godly rule is brought down by David's affair with the married Bathsheba (Alice Krige).

Everything is fine until Richard Gere shows up. It's a bit slow sometimes but Woodward is a solid British actor. The scale is big enough when it's required. Goliath is great. It's all good but there is something too modern about Gere's beautiful hair. His mannerisms and his voice is too modern, too American and too different from everybody else. He simply looks out of place. Otherwise, this could have worked.