Soldier of God

I was fortunate enough to see this film at the Straford Upon Avon International Digital Film Festival, where it won Best Film. In this day and age of "wham, bam, thank you ma'am" no-brainer action films and simpering synthetic rom coms, it was such a relief to have an intelligent film with characters that needed to be understood rather than handed out on a plate, that was beautiful but still harsh and brutal in its intensity.

It was a pleasure to watch. I for one am exceedingly grateful that it was nothing like "Kingdom of Heaven" (a pale comparison) and for once, which is unusual for Hollywood, historically accurate or as accurate as you can be in the 21st century. I am not a great historian of the period though I do have an interest in the Crusades, but I recently read another review of this film that praised it's historical accuracy -

"I highly recommend this movie to all students of medieval history, and those interested in comparative religious studies." D. Chaltry, Florida.

Praise indeed.

Historically accurate, beautifully shot and well-acted. What more could you want?

Rae

This film was compared to Kingdom of Heaven. Wow. Ridley Scotts crusade movie cost tens of millions to make. Even so, it is arguably one of Scotts worst films and contains very bad production flaws for a Scott film. On top of this, the story told in Kingdom is an absolute perversion of history and gives a moronic portrayal of the Knights Templar. This movie, Soldier of God, appears to have had no budget. The story seems to be limited by this fact. That said, I will judge it on its own merits. - The filming is beautiful work. Obviously done with a low end camera, yet masterfully shot. - The editing is extremely well done. Some of the best editing I have seen for a film in this budget range. Can't say enough here. - Costumes looks great. A better job was done on costumes than many big budget movies. - Accents are very good and give authenticity. - Although the story is sparse, plot subtle, it is a much more believable and authentic film than Kingdom of Heaven in the portrayal of the people and the period.

Not an action packed fun movie. An interesting watch. Requires an appreciation for film making and not simply a desire to be quickly amused.

I noticed some really bad reviews of this movie so decided to comment. Firstly the movie isn't a story of the Knights Templer or the crusades, it is about life, the decisions we make, how we can spend our lives chasing the unimportant and miss the real life staring us in the face. Secondly if you look at the really bad comments,you will see that they were written by people who seem to think the know all truths. One of the reviewers wanted something that was on par with the Da Vinchi code!!!! I have no beliefs in any Gods but I would stand with Christians denouncing that book/film, because a 12 year old could have produced much better (no insult meant to 12yr olds). So if you have a bit of a brain and are open minded enough and realise that we are always learning, well this film is of a reasonable enough standard to spend some time on.

Honestly, I can't believe I watched this. Do not, do not believe anything that is written about this film. there is no art, there is no amazing story. I am using some anonymous (bugmenot) account, but, my words ring true. This movie is just trying to capitalize on the buzz of Knights Templar from the Da Vinci Code. This movie has nothing to do with the sort(the reason i watched it). It is only some estranged idea of a Christian consorting with a Muslim. But, it isn't even really anything to do with that. In the end, the saddening end, it is just a failed love story, of a Knight Templar doing something a Knight Templar would never do. In all honesty, a useless movie with no point.

I watched this incredible HD feature at the Dallas Deep Ellum Film Festival (where it walked away with a big award) and was amazed that the filmmaker had pulled off such a huge film for a small budget. Filmed in California, Mir Bahmanyar somehow managed to transform a California desert to the middle east, but that transformation was second to the incredible transformation by Bill Mendieta into a Muslim fighter who harbors a deadly secret. At the completion of the movie, at first I was surprised by the ending, but realized the subtext of the story must be met (congrats to Bahmanyar and Kuhlen). Tim Abel's Knight Templar and Mendieta's characters dominate the story with an ease of slipping into the skin of such three dimensional characters. Mapi Galan, whom they discovered in Spain, helped develop the story into a rich depth with her beautiful and exotic Sohelia who mesmerizes the men who visit her tent and seem to alter their attitudes towards war. Neil Lisk's cinematography was exceptional and if you look at the crew you'll note that Mir Bahmanyar's name is all over the place, and this was due to his dedication of getting the story made and offered to the viewing public.