The movie takes place during the Crusades and follows the exploits of Balian (Orlando Bloom) the illegitimate son of Godfrey, the Baron of Ibelin (Liam Nesson).

Here is a basic run down of the plot. The movie opens with the burial of Balian's wife who killed herself when their child died. As Balian returns to work, Godfrey returns to France to recover his son and he finds that Balian is unwilling to go with him back to the holy land. When a priest tells Balian that if he joins the Crusade he can relieve his wife's position in Hell, Balian promptly murders him and runs away to join his father.

Godfrey accepts Balian and they agree to go to Jerusalem together. Just then, some of the bishop's men show up and try to imprison Balian for the murder of the priest and after a brief fight, in which Godfrey is mortally wounded, they sail to Jerusalem. From there Balian then takes over responsibility for his father's land and helps lead the defense of Jerusalem against the great Saracen leader, Saladin. While most people think of history a dry and boring (which it can be sometimes) this movie honestly did an amazing job keeping me interested. It featured just the right amount of blood, gore, and general violence to satisfy the action hero in me, while still maintaining a strong emotional presence through the tale of Balian's love for Syblla, the king's sister.

So all in all, it's a very good film if you have the time to actually sit down and watch it.