Arn: The Kingdom at the End of the Road (2008)

The Knight Arn is sent on a last mission against Saladin. He has to win this battle, before he can go home to Sweden, and finally marry his Cecilia and start a family. But the peace back home is threatened by the Danes.

Director:

Peter Flinth

Writers:

Jan Guillou (novel), Hans Gunnarsson (screenplay)

Stars:

Joakim Nätterqvist, Sofia Helin, Stellan Skarsgård

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joakim Nätterqvist	...	Arn Magnusson
Sofia Helin	...	Cecilia Algotsdotter
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Birger Brosa
Bibi Andersson	...	Moder Rikissa
Gustaf Skarsgård	...	Kung Knut
Fanny Risberg	...	Cecilia Blanka
Joel Kinnaman	...	Sverker Karlsson
Jakob Cedergren	...	Ebbe Sunesson
Morgan Alling	...	Eskil Magnusson
Anders Baasmo Christiansen	...	Harald Øysteinsson
Nicholas Boulton	...	Gerard De Ridefort
Frank Sieckel	...	Sigfried De Turenne
Barnaby Kay	...	Riddare
Robert Willox	...	Vapenmästare
Martin Wallström	...	Magnus Månsköld

Storyline

The Knight Arn is sent on a last mission against Saladin. He has to win this battle, before he can go home to Sweden, and finally marry his Cecilia and start a family. But the peace back home is threatened by the Danes.

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Plot Keywords:

knights templar | arab | arabic history | european history | sword and shield | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Romance | War

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Details

Country:

Denmark Sweden Finland UK Norway Germany

Language:

Swedish English Norwegian Danish Arabic

Release Date:

22 August 2008 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Arn - Kraljevstvo na kraju puta

Filming Locations:

Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Budget:

SEK210,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,787,136

Company Credits

Production Co:

AMC Pictures, Arion Communications Ltd., Dagsljus Filmequipment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The battle at the end of the film, Battle of Lena, was according to historians won by the Swedes because of the heavy snowing that made the heavy armored Danish knights useless. According to Swedish legends, the Swedes where aided by Odin. Also the battle shown in the film is combined with the Battle of Gestilren where warriors from Norway joined with the Swedes.

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Goofs

[All goofs for this title are spoilers.]

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Connections

Follows Arn: The Knight Templar (2007)

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Soundtracks

Where Your Love Lives
Sung by Marie Fredriksson

User Reviews

Sweden's most expensive film ever: epic honor & chivalry with great production values.

Arn - Rikets vid Vägens Slut like Braveheart, or El Cid truly remind us that without honor and chivalry - real service - life is without meaning. It is frankly a straight out terrific watch - it carries its weight as the most expensive Swedish film ever - and some for this movie goer.

Faster, tougher, and with more battles and drama, it is not only longer than its predecessor, it's also a class above.

This is well considered film-making and I take mild exception to those here who found the filming naive or under par: several of the camera shots in the desert are breathtaking; simply outstanding. There seems to more effort this time when it comes to scenery, costuming (Weave and weft look right), lighting, and in particular sound - all are well-judged and the palette particular in the Nordic scenes are full of subtle grays and blues that lend much. Unlike the first one really sees the money up on the screen.

In addition Arn mixes more humor, Norwegians in particular come off with great PR from this, and more seriousness with Royal intrigues aplenty to create some good drama - here some more close-ups would have been really good - especially in the court scenes - the story-telling is too literal and focuses too much on the speaker rather than reactions - but it is a small gripe.

What I'm getting at it that this is a wonderfully watchable film - enough swordplay to satisfy and enough political intrigue and chivalrous love to engage the brain and melt the heart.

The story continues from Arn-Tempelriddaren with Arn still in fealty in the Holy Land but soon to released from his debt to serve, and so return to his Nordic home.

The film is the Swedish Braveheart - and none the worse for that - with some tender moments of real love, good battle scenes, and infighting politics - honestly I recommend this a being a really good and satisfying view.

As you can tell we really enjoyed this - no flack - and would openly and honestly recommend as a great couple of hours to anyone who enjoys films like Braveheart etc;

Regarding some of the other reviews: I see that most of the very negative reviews come from those who loved the books- having never read them maybe I am at an advantage here? Whatever, we loved both films, and this one in particular, and on its won merits it really was one of our favorite films of the year. We got the DVD and just wish they had put extras on it - would love some production notes and a commentary.

Recommended.