EL CID FROM SPAIN
The Legend + Master of the Battlefield
We can’t get enough of steamy, historical dramas — and Amazon is getting into the game with its own. El Cid follows the minor nobleman Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar as he rises within the Castilian army’s ranks.
In five episodes, this bloody and brutal epic tells the story of the real-life famous folk hero. El Cid (1043-1099) lived during medieval times in Spain. While most called him El Cid (translates to The Lord), Christians gave him the nickname El Campeador, meaning Master of the Battlefield. The side we primarily see in this season of the drama is on the battlefield.
We watch a young El Cid (Jaime Lorente) as he starts to gain notoriety. We see him fighting in Game of Thrones-like standoffs, slicing off heads left and right. But we also get a glimpse of him on the bloody meadows and in his town. There, he gains attention from wannabe suitors, much to our delight.
Fans of Money Heist will be pleased to see Lorente in the lead role. He plays Denver on the high-energy Netflix show. In this, Lorente is easily the best part. His performance as El Cid is positively unique. And he had some stiff competition from Charlie Heston, who famously portrayed El Cid in the 1961 film starring Sophia Loren (Jimena.) Lucía Guerrero is also a bonafide star as Jimena. We want to see her in more projects.
If you’re looking for a quick binge, PROVOKRs, El Cid is the show for you. Watch it on Amazon Prime.
