The movie begins by telling the story of Charles Le Vaillant, a Flemish knight who, following the Siege of Jerusalem during the First Crusade, questioned the morality of killing people in the name of religion—a point is raised about whether those involved truly understood what they were doing in the Holy Land. It's also noted that the individuals they were fighting didn’t share their religious beliefs. Charles then experienced a moment of clarity and founded a new religious group based on combining core principles from Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Initially, his followers were Christian knights who had become disillusioned with violence. Eventually, he gained converts among Muslims and Jews—former adversaries now united by this new faith. The script for *The Order* was written collaboratively by Jean-Claude Van Damme, whose unconventional religious views (he believes Christianity is wrong because "snakes are good" and "apples contain pectin, which is anti-cholesterol") can be found on Wikipedia. While I'd like to think that he and his co-writer Les Weldon were joking around, regardless of their intent, the film fails to capitalize on the humor inherent in its concept. It would have been much better if the movie had been a satirical biography of Charles Le Vaillant—especially with Van Damme playing the part. I imagine Charles delivering sermons with Van Damme’s unique accent and sharing beliefs like the ones mentioned above could have resulted in something akin to "Blessed Are the Cheesemakers." Unfortunately, Van Damme and Weldon don't really explore this new religion, simply referred to as The Order, which is a missed opportunity for comedy. Instead, the film jumps forward in time to introduce Rudy Cafmeyer (Van Damme), a thief attempting to steal a Fabergé egg (presumably to sell it). Rudy’s father, Oscar ‘Ozzie’ Cafmeyer (Vernon Dobtcheff), an archaeologist and museum curator, is taken hostage while on the phone with his son. Rudy then travels to Jerusalem to rescue him, where he reconnects with Walt Finley (Charlton Heston), an old friend of his father's. The appearance of Charlton Heston can only be attributed to early signs of Alzheimer’s; it’s another example of wasted potential. The actor would have been ideal for both the comedic sword-and-sandal film that *The Order* could have been, and the Indiana Jones-style adventure it ultimately tries to become—though in either scenario, he needed more screen time, and in the latter case, should have played Rudy’s father. What remains is typical Van Damme fare, including a foot chase where he's disguised as a Hasidic Jew, evading Israeli police (the explanation for how he obtains his costume—particularly the beard and curls—is never addressed; it would have been simpler to show him buying it like souvenirs at Disneyland).

Source on TMDB