Predating Ridley Scott's maligned Kingdom of Heaven by a good four years, the 2001 Italian miniseries "Crociati" (Crusaders) is an epic that unfolds in roughly the same time period as Scott's sweeping, malnourished tale. It's fascinating to watch the films in succession (the back cover of the Crusaders DVD even ends its advertising verbiage with the line "Prepare for the ultimate race for the Kingdom of Heaven" – if that's not a blatant tie-in, I don't know what is); Crusaders is expansive, splitting its focus between two main characters and making an intimate epic, whereas Kingdom of Heaven has a tendency to feel rushed, startlingly violent and meandering.

Directed by Dominique Othenin Girard and written by Andrea Porporati, Crusaders doesn't boast big name stars (save for Armin Mueller-Stahl and Franco Nero) or even the visibility of Scott's film but it takes its time, unfolding over nearly three and a half hours (although Scott's rumored director's cut could eclipse this release).

Towards the end of the 11th century, three friends – bell founder Peter (Alessandro Gassman), baron's son Richard (Johannes Brandrup) and shepherd Andrew (Thure Riefenstein) – set off to join The Crusades, after watching soldiers returning from Jerusalem. Startled by the violence employed in liberating Jerusalem from the infidels, the friends split up after a gruesome attack on a monastery. A dense, compelling plot with twists both expected and surprising ensues, including the introduction of a Jewess, Rachel (Barbora Bobulova), whose love complicates the friends' strained relationship.

Despite a tendency to skew a little soap-operaish and incredibly, possibly benefit from a few minutes' judicious editing, Crusaders is nevertheless a rousing B-level miniseries that's executed in the same spirit as Scott's film. It's not without its drawbacks (having no instantly recognizable faces can lead to momentary confusion; the story's wrapped up a bit too neatly) but is a worthwhile spin for fans of period dramas.

The Video:

Crusaders is presented in a non-anamorphic 1.66:1 widescreen transfer that tragically limits the obvious beauty of Federico Masiero's cinematography – a film that relies heavily on location shooting looks soft and moire patterns are prevalent. I'm pretty surprised this wasn't afforded an anamorphic transfer.

Offered in Dolby Digital 5.1, the full-blooded soundtrack feels appropriately robust during the battle sequences and more subdued and atmospheric in the quieter, dialogue-driven moments (which, at times, look as though the film was dubbed into English, but ultimately, I was torn – the lines and the lips matched up, but the voices didn't always sound as though they were genuinely coming from the actors; if it's a dub job, it's one of the better ones I've seen). Harald Kloser and Thomas Wanker's score fills in the surrounds nicely.

The lone extra is the film's theatrical trailer in non-anamorphic widescreen.

Crusaders preceded Kingdom of Heaven by a good four years, but ironically, it's relying on fans of Ridley Scott's film to pick up this bargain-priced Italian import. It's lengthy and not without flaws, but this miniseries is easily worth a rental for fans of action-packed costume dramas. Rent it.