Desert Warrior (2025)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
An Arabian princess and a legendary bandit must unite to defy a ruthless emperor's claim on her.
The story
Set in seventh-century Arabia, amidst the constant feuding between tribes, the ruthless Emperor Kisra seeks to make Princess Hind his concubine. When she refuses his demand, she forms an unlikely alliance with a legendary bandit. Together, they prepare to confront the Emperor's power, leading toward a pivotal confrontation at the Battle of Ze Qar.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Set in seventh-century Arabia, a land defined by tribal warfare, the ruthless Emperor Kisra demands that Princess Hind become his concubine. The Princess refuses his decree and instead joins forces with a legendary bandit to challenge the Emperor's authority. Their journey of defiance culminates in the historic Battle of Ze Qar.
- First release year
- 2025
- Runtime (minutes)
- 126
- Production countries
- United States; Saudi Arabia
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Rupert Wyatt
- Writers
- David Self · screenplay; Rupert Wyatt · screenplay; Erica Beeney · screenplay; David Self · story; Gary Ross · uncredited rewrites
- Cast and characters
- Anthony Mackie · Hanzala; Aiysha Hart · Princess Hind; Sharlto Copley · Jalabzeen; Ghassan Massoud · King Numan; Sami Bouajila · Hani; Lamis Ammar · Medicine Woman; Géza Röhrig · Al Hamerz; Ben Kingsley · Emperor Kisra; Numan Acar · Ebn Wael; Ramsey Faragallah · Ibn Qabisah
- Genres
- action; historical
- Themes
- resistance; alliance
- Tone and mood
- epic; action-packed
- Setting
- Seventh-century Arabia
- Premise and plot tags
- historical; action; fantasy-adjacent
- Source material / true-story basis
- Riders of the Desert (novel by Morteza Esmailzadeh)
- Reception
- The film received generally negative reviews from critics, with some describing it as narratively bloated and emotionally hollow, while others praised its visual scope and sense of adventure.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 25 · scale: 100 · review count: 24; Metacritic · score: 41 · scale: 100
- Production trivia
- It is the most expensive film to be produced in Saudi Arabia.; The production was intended to revitalize the Saudi film industry.; The film was one of the first major English-language films produced by MBC Studios.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…