The Crusaders (2001)

Absolutely the worst movie.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Blistering performances.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Shoddy, clumsily written, hammily acted, sloppily directed with very poorly staged "action" scenes--and those are its good parts. This is an Italian mini-series, but it's much more reminiscent of the "sword-and- sandal" mini-epics that cheapjack Italian producers ground out like sausages in the 1960s, and not as entertaining as many of them. The acting is on the level of an overheated silent-era melodrama, and the script is so confusing and convoluted it's hard to follow who's doing what to who. This pitiful "spectacular" has few saving graces, and one of them is the exquisitely beautiful Karen Proia, who plays "Maria". Well, now that I think about it, she's the ONLY saving grace this film has. I gave it two stars, and that's just because watching her made viewing this claptrap a lot less painful. Otherwise, avoid this thing at all costs.

I really enjoyed this epic which is fine for a winter night by the fireside, and gave a more balanced view of the horrors of the crusades, but I was puzzled by one aspect at the beginning. Peter's mother, A Saracen camp follower, appeared to be dying of smallpox. Why then would she be nursing her baby and why would the possibly infected baby be given to a family to raise? None of them seemed the slightest bit bothered that the baby might infect them all.The only other problem was the American English dubbing. As I always have the subtitles or captions on, I would have preferred to hear the actors speak in their own language, or at least an accentless English. when one of the characters kept shouting "lets, go, go, go", prior to a battle scene it sounded like a gung ho "GI's winning the war" film. At least no one said "yeah, right!" For that we may be truly thankful.

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.

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.