Trama

A fallen warrior rises against a corrupt and sadistic ruler to avenge his dishonored master.

A fallen warrior rises against a corrupt and sadistic ruler to avenge his dishonored master in a sword-clashing adventure of loyalty, honor, and vengeance.—Lionsgate

When the corrupt minister Geza Mott demands more taxes from Lord Bartok, he goes to his castle with Commander Raiden and his knights. He challenges Geza Mott and tries to kill him but the Emperor sentences him to be beheaded by Raiden. Further, he deprives the castle and lands from his family. Geza Mott asks his commander to follow Raiden and builds an iron gate in the entrance of his castle expecting revenge, but Raiden prefers to drink instead becoming a drunkard. One year later, the knights want to seek revenge against the dishonor of their Lord. Geza Mott has neglected his security since Raiden is an alcoholic bum. What will happen to Raiden?—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Burdened by the unbearable guilt of what he has done, Raiden--the battle-scarred swordsman and the once-proud Commander of the Seventh Rank--still drowns his sorrows, one long year later. However, as Geza Mott--the corrupt minister responsible for Raiden's fall from grace--fortifies his castle for fear of being targeted, Raiden's insuppressible values of duty, loyalty, and honour demand immediate action. Can Raiden confront his inner demons to finally reunite with his old comrades in arms, for one last battle for justice?—Nick Riganas

Bartok (Morgan Freeman) watches over his estate, a vassal kingdom to a great empire. Protecting the Bartok clan is Commander Raiden (Clive Owen) and his elite soldiers, who also serve Bartok. Raiden is surprised when Bartok tells him that he is to be his heir and gives him a sword. Raiden and his knights have honed their skills through years of battle and are fiercely loyal to Bartok. Under their watch Bartok's estate has resisted numerous attempts at being overrun by rival estates.

Bartok has been summoned to the Capital by the Emperor, to meet minister Geza Mott, to review new protocols and duties. Bartok knows that Geza only demands a bribe, disguised as a gift, to remain in his good graces. Raiden advises him to pay the "gift", but Bartok refuses to indulge Geza as a matter of principle. Bartok says that if he indulges Geza, he will eventually lose half his estate and would have to torture his people to support the demands of those above. Raiden accompanies Bartok to the Capital with some of his Knights.

The empire has become corrupt and the evil minister, Geza Mott (Aksel Hennie), humiliates Bartok by beating him with a stick for failing to provide an adequate bribe (Bartok only presents a silk robe), until Bartok retaliates - which is treason against the crown. Bartok is put to trial where he speaks openly of his disdain for what honor has become in the empire. The protests the fact that noblemen do all the work in the empire, build roads, provide armies, employ the nation & yet are subjected to humiliation by the crown. Bartok says that his only true crime is that he failed to kill Geza when he had the chance.

He is sentenced to death by the emperor (Peyman Moaadi) and Raiden is ordered to execute his own master, else the entire Bartok clan will be murdered. Bartok's estate is divided, and the Bartok clan is disbanded and forced out of their own homes. Geza Mott suspects Raiden will demand vengeance, and has his trusted warrior, Ito (Tsuyoshi Ihara), watch Raiden to ensure there is no possibility of revenge. The Emperor refuses to kill Raiden without any proof, as that would enrage the 2 million knights of the empire, and they may revolt against the crown. The knights of the Bartok clan are disbanded as well. Ito handles the eviction of Bartok's estates and makes sure that the family is treated with due respect. The castle is set on fire.

A year passes and Raiden is now a drunk. Geza is still highly fearful of Raiden's wrath and demands half (1000 men) his father-in-law's Auguste's (Ahn Sung-Ki) troops to safeguard him while he completes construction of his newly fortified estate, with more soldiers than the emperor's own security detail. Auguste is livid with Geza for physically abusing his daughter Hannah (Park Si-Yeon) but is powerless to do anything about it. Meanwhile, Geza has used the proceeds of corruption to build a huge palace for himself, which is guarded by an enormous iron gate at the entrance, which is capable of holding back an entire army. The palace is well protected by a 2-sided drawbridge, a soldiers barracks (with 250 soldiers), a maze (overlooked by a pavilion capable of raining down arrows), and leading to a plaza with the iron gate which is impossible to open from the outside.

Raiden's wife, Naomi (Ayelet Zurer), couldn't bear to be with him as he had fallen so low, with Raiden even selling his sword for more drink. When Bartok's virgin daughter is offered to Raiden in a brothel, he shows no concern for her but leaves the premises. Geza finally lets his guard down and stops watching Raiden. It is now revealed that Raiden and the Bartok clan soldiers sacrificed everything for the illusion of a complete defeat and have been waiting for the right time to group and together regain the clan's honor by avenging their master's death.

Raiden's men have been working in secret, building up contacts and connections, and gathering intelligence about Geza's estate - even secretly altering his estate to help them overcome the formidable defenses. Raiden is re-united with his sword. As Raiden's men infiltrate the estate, Auguste (Ahn Sung-Ki) has secretly made a pact with Raiden to help him, in exchange for Raiden's help to free his daughter from her marriage to Geza Mott. Geza has always mistreated Auguste's daughter which, along with Bartok's execution, causes Auguste to see that his vicious son-in-law has no honor. Auguste helps smuggle Raiden's knights into Geza's palace inside a large mirror that he presents to Geza as a gift. Raiden and his men successfully infiltrate Geza's estate, are discovered, and need to face a large number of soldiers.

Raiden's men fall one by one as they enter deep into Geza's estate. The man inside the mirror is freed by Hannah and he opens the iron gate but is killed by Geza's troops in the process. Once inside, Raiden locks the iron gates and locks out the rest of Geza's army.

Ito takes responsibility for his complacency and duels with Raiden. Ito's sword fails and Raiden kills him. Raiden breaks into Geza's bedroom and decapitates him. With Geza dead, Raiden's surviving group rescues Bartok's daughter and tells her that Bartok's honor is restored.

When word reaches the Emperor, he discusses with his council on how to deal with Bartok's soldiers, who caution him against the risk of turning the people against the crown. They realize that the public view Geza's death as a righteous one, and widely support the Bartok clan. The council advice that any judgment should restore their honor, rather than make them martyrs. Raiden asks that he be the only one executed for Geza's death.

The crown publicly admits the righteousness of the Bartok clan, but also reminds the crowd that killing a high council member is still the same as an attack on the emperor and Raiden will be executed. Before his execution, Raiden charges Lt. Cortez (Cliff Curtis) to take control of the surviving Bartok clan. Once inside, he sees Naomi one last time to apologize for her suffering before making peace with his own life. Raiden lowers his head with his eyes closed, and as the executioner draws his sword back, Raiden's eyes suddenly open wide and the screen goes to black.