Original / alternative title: Arn: Tempelriddaren
Categories: cavalry movies desert movies infantry movies knights movies
Arn - The Knight TemplarDirector: Peter Flinth
Laguages: Swedish / Arabic / English
Swedish monk becomes Templar knight and fights with the Saladin army in Jerusalem.
Arn Magnusson is son of powerful Swedish family of Folkung. Although he was raised in the monastery he was trained in swordsmanship and archery. As young man he gets involved in the struggle between his family and other over the crown of the Västra Götaland province. He fells in love with Cecilia Algotsdotter, who was already prepared by her family to become wife of someone else. For premarital relations they both are sentenced to be excommunicated and live for 20 years in convents. Arn leaves Sweden for Holy Land, where due to his skills and bravery he becomes Templar Knight. During the travel to Jerusalem he saves life of Saladin, the sultan of Egypt, who warns him not to visit the Holy City, since soon it will be attacked by his army. Arn is given the task of intercepting Saladin’s army before they reach Jerusalem.
Based on Jan Guillou’s novels the movie is interesting offer, although in many points it lacks the realism (f.e. Arn using the European sword in manner similiar to samurai sword which would hardly hurt anyone) and the most important parts of the war movie (battle scenes) are cut real short, so all we see is the outcome of the battle rather than battle itself. The movie is distributed worldwide as single movie, but originally there were two separate movies, which could explain why meaning of some scenes is hard to grasp.
It is partly war movie and partly love story, which means that there are some interesting bits and some rather boring bits, but overall it is rather interesting story even though the events are fictious version of real events (Crusades, fight for the Swedish throne).
Our rating
5.2
Film value
5 / 10
Realism factor
3 / 5
Adventure factor
3 / 5
Historical accuracy
2 / 5
Consolidation of Sweden (1000-1250) Crusades (1095-1291) Battle of Gestilren (17 Jul 1210) Battle of Montgisard (25 Nov 1177) Battle of Hattin (4 Jul 1187)
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