One of the great stories of doomed love is given a new screen interpretation in this historical drama. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, King Donnchadh (
David O'Hara) of Ireland has become the
de facto ruler of England, but one of his underlings, Lord Marke (
Rufus Sewell), dreams of uniting British forces with an eye toward self-rule. One of Marke's most valuable allies is Tristan (
James Franco), Marke's protégé, who has become a brave warrior since he was rescued by the lord after his parents were murdered by Irish forces during a battle. While Marke and Tristan dream of banishing Ireland's presence in England, Tristan has a secret he's been hiding from Marke -- after suffering serious wounds during a hard-fought battle, he was rescued and nursed back to health by Isolde (
Sophia Myles), King Donnchadh's daughter, and the two fell deeply in love. But the couple were separated after Tristan returned to England, and when King Donnchadh attempts to quell the British uprising by staging a tournament among the nation's greatest warriors, with an extreme and rather personal surprise in store for Tristan.
Tristan & Isolde was directed by
Kevin Reynolds, and produced in part by
Ridley Scott, who attempted to bring the story to the screen back in the 1970s. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide