I have always been a fan of Ridley Scott (except for Hannibal which I hated), and I expected to enjoy this film, and I did. It wasn’t the best of his films for sure, but it certainly is epic and enjoyable. And interesting in the current world, since the US is lead by it’s own Holy Warrior, who seems to be once again attacking the Muslim world. And just as in this movie, it seems the Christian church is the one enemy, and the zealots who follow it, but more because they use it to serve there own sick and depraved purposes.

REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS…

Orlando Bloom plays Balian, a blacksmith in France, whose wife killed herself after the death of their child. Then Sire Godfrey (Liam Neeson) and the priest Hospitaler (David Thewlis)shows up to take him to Jerusalem, as he is his bastard child, and help protect the king, but Balian ignores the man. Then the local Priest (Michael Sheen) says people don’t want him their, band Balian sees his wife’s cross around his neck, so he kills the priest and goes to join Godfrey. The local lord objects and sends men after them, and some of Godfrey’s men are killed, and he is wounded very badly. Before he dies he makes Balian a lord and a knight and sends him to Jerusalem to protect the king. Balian’s whole ship is lost, but he survives and a horse, and he fights with the lord of a servant, Nasir (Alexander Siddig), but lets the servant go with a horse. The servant turns out to be the right hand of Saladin (Ghassan Massoud) who leads the Muslim armies, who are in a temporary peace with King Baldwin (Edward Norton). The man next line to be King is Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas) who is married to the Princess Sybilla (Eva Green). The princess falls for Balian who she sees as her salvation, and when she sees how good of a man he is. The King’s right hand Tiberius ( Jeremy Irons) allies with Balian, but Guy de Lusignan and his parter in crime Reynald (Brendan Gleeson) want a war at all cost, and keep killing Muslim pilgrims. The King is able to keep the peace, only after Balian goes out and with his knights almost sacrifices himself to save the people, but the King isn’t long to live. He and Tiberius ask Balian to take command of the army and to marry Sybilla, and have Guy de Lusignan and his followers and the knights templar put to death, but Balian will not do it. And Guy De Lusignan becomes king and goes to war with the Muslims, but stupidly he goes out with no plan, and no plan to keep Jerusalem, and all his men are killed and he is taken captive, but Balian vows to save the city, and save the people. Balian takes the defense of the city, and makes the people knights. In an epic battle Balian defends the city from bombardment and attack and is able to make terms and take the people to Christian lands. The new Queen walks and Balian takes her back to France to be his wife.

This is an epic film with amazing battles and effects (with only one bad comp after the terms are signed). The performances are good, and even Orlando Bloom does a good job (and I think you can see his scar on his spine in one shot).