This movie begins in 1184 with a knight named "Godfrey de Ibelin" (Liam Neeson) returning to France from the Middle East in search of a son he never got the chance to know. At that exact same time a young blacksmith by the name of "Balian" (Orlando Bloom) has just lost his wife due to her suicide over the loss of her new baby. Although Balian has no real interest in forming a relationship with his newly declared father, that changes when he subsequently kills a corrupt priest for stealing his dead wife's crucifix. With nowhere else to go he proceeds to join the Crusaders on their way back to the Holy Land where he hopes he can attain forgiveness for his wife and himself. Unfortunately, the Crusaders are soon met by some local knights intent on bringing Balian back and punishing him for his crime. A fight breaks out between the two groups and even though the local knights are defeated Godfrey is severely injured and dies not long afterward. However, before passing away he bequeaths his title to his son and makes him swear to support the King of Jerusalem against his enemies--which includes a large faction of Knights Templars led by a man named "Guy de Lisignan" (Marton Csokas) who is spoiling for a fight against the Muslims even though the Crusaders are greatly outnumbered. Along with that, Guy is betrothed to a beautiful woman named "Sibylla" (Eva Green) who is immediately attracted to Balian--and she prefers him to Guy. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a very entertaining film which kept my attention throughout. Historically, the Crusaders who had been in the Holy Land the longest realized that they were greatly outnumbered and preferred to keep possession of Jerusalem and other key areas by peacefully coexisting with the Muslim population when possible. On the other hand, those Crusaders who were relatively new to the area were more intolerant and sought battle for both religious and economic reasons. As such, this film captures that dynamic remarkably well. On the other hand, there were also some touches of "Hollywood" included which I thought were totally unnecessary--but I suppose that is to be expected from any big-budget project like this. In any case, I liked this movie and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.

WARNING: If you want to watch this movie there's two things I recommend.First: Get yourself the director's cut. The theatrical release has 45 minutes of cuts. The movie doesn't make sense without that material. With those 45 minutes included, this film is a gripping epic with some great cinematography and some really good acting (well, Orlando Bloom is serviceable at best but there is great cast of supporting characters; most notably Edward Norton that delivers an impressive body and voice performance as the always face-covered Leper King).Second: Renounce any historical accuracy. If you are an expert on Crusades and this time period in general, this movie will probably disappoint you. Every element has some root in real events but they are twisted and turned to service what is essentially a very modern moral lesson.

This movie is one of the many movies that try to discredit religions by showing characters who don't understand religions and are full of doubts as a consequence. The movie doesn't attempt to explore their doubts but just leave them be. Furthermore it portrays Christians as religious fanatics and Muslims as much more peaceful than what is historically accurate. In fact, this movie strays so far from real history that it disappoints me how Hollywood is full of people who have jumped on the left-wing bandwagon. They twist the truth in order to appeal to generation snowflake. These people and mainstream media are a major part of the reasons why so many young people have been brainwashed. The characters are way too predictable and are not at all complex. The plot and lines are so cheesy that I felt embarrassed when I was watching it. Nevertheless, this movie has good graphics. Eva green is really attractive.

This movie/story is part fairy tale, part propaganda. It's one of those stories in which the events are placed in a time in history, but everything else about it is made up. No need to go into any more detail than so many others have about the politically incorrect people, places, circumstances and events--it all serves Ridley's idea of the way the world should work, not the way it really is, ever has been or ever will be. People who like this movie, and even many who don't, also rave about the "beautiful cinematography." Well, most of that cinematography is digitally rendered, and much of the movie is shot against a green screen (like 300). How much more beautiful would it have been if filmed on location? Jerusalem--the real place--and the surrounding area is some of the most varied and beautiful terrain you'll ever see, but the movie rewrites the geography so that you have Jerusalem set next to an impossibly flat and featureless plain that runs for 100s of miles in all directions--stupid. There's nothing to admire about this movie.