The Crusaders (2001)

What makes this movie so good is the realism. Hair, hands, faces are as you would expect in the 11th century. You feel like you are right there and the movie completely absorbs its audience. This movie did not have the multi-million dollar budget of many recent films but the overall effect is the best I have seen. The actors are so good. the costumes are so real. The movie will tear at your heart. It makes no excuses for war and there is no political statement to be made - just a story about the worst and best in us.To the people who think this is a pro-Christian or pro-Muslim movie .. get a life and open your eyes! Evil can be found in the holiest of places, and sometimes in the hearts of seemingly the noblest of people. And there is good to be found everywhere regardless of religion or color of one's eyes.

This film is probably pro-Muslimization. Why do I write that? The main character has a Muslim father and a Christian mother. He lives his first 20 years in a Christian village. In the end of the film he seemingly is a Muslim because of his head-wear, that he has kept his amulet, and his general clothing. He has a six year old child, who wears the same head-wear and therefore is probably a Muslim, although the mother is a Christian. The main character thus chooses to, it seems, to be a Muslim and his child becomes a Muslim. No one of the other male main characters, which are Christians, seems to breed a child. There are more Muslims in the world of this movie at the end of it, it therefore seems.

One year after the premiere of Ridley Scott's outstanding epic KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (2005) and after reading the magnificent novel by Zofia Kossak Szczucka, I felt curious to see this film by Dominique Othenin-Girard. I am not going to compare the two films because despite their actions are set in a similar historical period (infamous medieval crusades), they are entirely different. What I am trying to do in my comments is discuss the film from an objective point of view since I am neither a great fan of this movie nor its critic but an average viewer. The film indeed has very strong points as well as quite serious drawbacks, which make it no outstanding production. Let me present some of the aspects of the film more clearly since there have not been many people yet who wrote about it.MAIN PLOT: Aurocastro, Norman Duchy of Taranto, A.D.1079. After the Saracen attack on the town, master Alessio (Armin Mueller-Stahl), an honorable man, adopts a baby boy, names him Peter, and raises him similarly to Andrew, his son. When the boys become adults, the town faces some difficulties from the cruel master, Corrado. However, his cruelty has its end. When his brother, Baron William (Dieter Kirchlechner), comes to the Duchy with his son Richard (Johannes Brandrup), he decides to bring order and justice to his land. But not all people are satisfied with this policy. Plots against him are more and more frequent. The conspiracies reach its climax when Richard, Baron William's son, sets free Peter (Alessandro Gassman) who is punished for a rumored affair with Maria (Karin Proia), the woman of Bastiano (Rodolfo Corsato), the most trusted man in Corrado's army. Aurocastro is destroyed, Baron William killed and deadly wounded Alessio dies with his last wish left onto the hands of his sons - to do the bell to a new cathedral that he had promised to Baron William. After these hard experiences, the noble son of Baron William leaves for a crusade but...not alone. Two other men come with him: Andrew (Thure Riefenstein) and his step brother Peter (Alessandro Gassman), the sons of Alessio. They are no longer masters and peasants but equal people with one aim: the Holy Land and its protection from "infidels". At the moment they join the crusaders, the greatest but bitterest adventure of their lives begins. The entire rest of the movie deals with various horrific events, revealed secrets, fights, slaughters, conspiracies, but also love and honor that they experience in Palestine. No one could foresee that these young men who were leaving their country full of dreams will one day return full of nightmares...CAST: SPOILERS: Although the content is quite involving, this movie cannot boast very fine performances. Mostly, the cast do not play very memorably. Alessandro Gassman in the role of Peter shows nothing special. He sometimes only "speaks" and does not seem to feel the role. Thure Riefenstein also portrays his character (Andrew) with no particular power. Sometimes, I get an impression that he does not feel very comfortable in the role he is given. Johannes Brandrup is better as Richard. There are, indeed, some moments that he plays really well, but it is difficult to talk of his outstanding performance. Just quite good. A young Slovakian actress Barbora Bobulova does a fairly nice job as a Jewish girl, Rachel, in love with books and a woman Pietro and Andrew fell in love with. There are two actors who are not given much time on screen but do really nice jobs: Slobodan Ninkovic as the cruel crusaders' commander of Viking origin, Olaf Gunnarson and Flavio Insinna as a prophet-hermit Bartholomew who claims to have seen St Andrew and calls on defending Jerusalem. Yet, one performance is marvelous and that is of a man whom I have seen in many epics: Franco Nero. He is given a magnificent, mysterious role of Ibnazul, a wise, elderly knowledgeable Muslim who loves peace and his field of science, astrology. Nero does a great job portraying a character of balance and wisdom.OTHER ASPECTS: First, there are some great moments that are worth seeing. What struck me was Pietro and Rachel's visit at Ibnazul while he observes stars. The scene is filled with mystery with Muslim sounds in the background. Another moment highly worth considering is the crusaders' first steps in the Holy Land. Most of them kneel and kiss the wet sand on the beach of the Mediterranean Sea. Strange that they started to slay innocent people so soon... I also loved the symbolic moment when Richard calls Muslims and Christians for peace in the name of the Cross. Yet, immediately when peace talks are possible, the siege of Jerusalem begins from the crusaders. How many times in history peace was so close but wicked people disturbed it? Besides, the film touches an important truth: the misery of killing. We see crusaders being falsely led to a Jewish town and slaying innocent Jews since they thought they would kill "infidels" (at that moment, Muslims). What you also get in this movie are the key aspects of reality promoted in the heyday of the Middle Ages: hermits' visions having impact on armies, prayer at the relic combined with purifying the minds of people, conspiracies among the "believers", honor, sacrifice, and finally, building cathedrals as giving thanks to God.THE CRUSADERS is a nice film but not all viewers will enjoy it. Because of very long battle scenes, much politics and particularly specific content, it is purely a film for epic fans. Yet, I have to admit that it is a very specific epic. Therefore, I will put it like this: if you just liked KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, I can's promise you that this film will make your day. But if you are a real fan of Ridley Scott's masterpiece, you will definitely enjoy this film, too. Worth seeing as an insight into crusades' reality 7/10

I did not expect that this movie(195 min on video) could be so interesting,well done made with the specific atmosphere of those times and the musical score to guide you in the adventures of the crusaders,actually 3 fellows who want to see the Holy Land. I have to admit that performances are not special,maybe above average but the nice battle scenes,the good unpredictable story and the sights of Israel, give you a nice impression for the movie. I recommend this movie or series,I think since Das Boot series, we have not seen such interesting tv production and especially european one. I give to this movie 8/10.