The Crusades 2023

Comedy

Drama

Box Office

$5.9K

Runtime

101 mins

Language

English

Directed by

Leo Milano

Made by

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The Crusades Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for The Crusades (2023). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

Leo Rudy Pankow, Sean Khalil Everage, and Jack Ryan Ashton are three close friends at the all-boys Catholic school Our Lady of the Crusades. Their days blend roughhousing with loyalty, until a plan to train Jack for a fight against a deaf student from the rival St. Matthews spirals out of control. The brawl on a baseball diamond draws the police, and the crowd scatters as they flee. In the scramble, Leo and Sean speed away on a bike, and, in the chaos, they strike Ryan Ashley Nicole Williams, a girl from their sister school.

Back at school, Jack faces the dean in his office. He denies everything, but Dean Whitman Greg Davis Jr. is preoccupied with a bigger issue: talks of merging the school with St. Matthews loom over the campus. Vince [Blaine Maye], a student at St. Matthews and Ryan’s boyfriend, knows what happened and now the trio must navigate this coming merger while avoiding Vince’s anger.

Leo must manage a quiet crush on his Italian teacher, Ms Kerpial [Anna Maiche]. Meanwhile Ryan tries to pursue Leo, unaware that he played a part in her injury. Sean juggles time with his girlfriend Jess [Indiana Massara], while keeping a careful eye on his friends to keep them safe from Vince. Jack, eager for attention from any girl who will take him seriously, searches for connection.

Seeking shelter from Vince and his gang at a party, the boys are found. Sean pulls away from Jess to shield his friends, triggering a tense chase. Vince and his crew, known as the Wrecking Crew, beat them badly. They are saved by a retired neighbor, Mr. Podkowa [Mike Starr], whom they had taunted earlier. After being caught, Vince decides to tell all—exposing his relationship with Kerpial and revealing that Leo was the one who broke Ryan’s leg. Ms Kerpial faces arrest for child molestation, and Ryan’s relationship cracks; Jess and Sean break up. In the end, the trio remains close, their friendship weathering the fallout.

The Crusades Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of The Crusades (2023) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.

Fight at the baseball diamond and chaotic escape

Three friends train Jack for a fight with a deaf student from St. Matthews. The confrontation turns violent and draws the police, forcing the boys to scatter. In their frantic escape, Leo and Sean flee while they run over Ryan, a girl from the rival school, with their hasty getaway.

Afternoon Baseball diamond, Our Lady of the Crusades

Dean announces possible merger and Vince's knowledge

The next school day, Jack denies involvement while Dean Whitman addresses the possibility of merging with St. Matthews. Vince, Ryan’s boyfriend and a student at St. Matthews, already knows Leo and Sean broke Ryan’s leg. The boys begin to strategize how to navigate the looming merger without drawing Vince’s wrath.

Next school day Dean's office, Our Lady of the Crusades

Leo's crush on Ms. Kerpial surfaces

Leo navigates a high school crush on his Italian teacher, Ms. Kerpial, while trying to ignore Ryan's advances. The personal tension adds to the pressure of the ongoing merger rumors and the looming threat from Vince.

During school Our Lady of the Crusades classroom

Sean juggles Jess while avoiding Vince

Sean tries to balance his time with his girlfriend Jess while ensuring his friends aren’t dragged into Vince’s escalating threats. The worries about safety mix with everyday teenage relationship dynamics. The group remains on edge as rumors swirl about the merger.

During school School and nearby streets

The party attempt to hide from Vince

The boys attempt to lay low by hiding at a party, hoping Vince will lose interest. The plan quickly tests their loyalty as Vince and his gang start closing in. The night becomes a tense chess match between hiding and staying safe.

Evening Local party venue

Pursuit, beating, and a late rescue

Vince and The Wrecking Crew catch the boys and beat them badly. They are rescued by Mr. Podkowa, a retired neighbor they had taunted earlier. The rescue marks a dramatic turn in the friends’ sense of safety and loyalty.

Night Party location and surrounding streets

Vince spills the truth after getting caught

Vince decides to tell all after the confrontation, revealing he was in a relationship with Ms. Kerpial. He also discloses to Ryan that Leo broke her leg. The confession ignites a cascade of accusations and betrayal that disrupts the student body.

After the confrontation Neighborhood after the incident

Ms. Kerpial's arrest and the fallout

The revelations lead to Ms. Kerpial’s arrest for child molestation, shaking the school’s trust in its staff. The public fallout touches multiple students, complicating the boys’ already fragile social circles. The incident becomes a turning point for everyone involved.

Following the spill Our Lady of the Crusades and nearby authority offices

Jess and Sean break up

The turmoil strains personal relationships, and Jess and Sean break up. Each boy must process the emotional fallout while still confronting the ongoing consequences of the earlier chaos. The breakup leaves the trio in a more fragile, yet oddly more honest, dynamic.

Shortly after School and personal lives

The boys are left single but still friends

Despite the romance and scandal, the three friends remain connected. They confront an uncertain future together, recognizing that their bond endures even as their circumstances have changed dramatically. The film closes on a note of stubborn loyalty and continued friendship.

End Our Lady of the Crusades and surrounding community

The Crusades Characters

Explore all characters from The Crusades (2023). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.

Leo Grecco (Rudy Pankow)

A quick-witted, risk-taking teen who wrestling with a crush on Ms. Kerpial while trying to steer his friends through a dangerous social landscape. Loyal to Sean and Jack, he must own up to his role in the chaos after the fight. He grapples with guilt when the consequences of their actions ripple through the school.

🤝 Loyal 💘 Crush 🧭 Conflicted

Sean Everage (Khalil Everage)

A protective friend who juggles his relationship with Jess and his duty to the group. He often steps in to shield his friends, even at personal cost, and struggles when the lines between loyalty and risk blur. His choices reveal the pressure of being the de facto guardian of the trio.

💪 Protector 💔 Torn relationships 🕵️ Under pressure

Jack Nozak (Ryan Ashton)

A thrill-seeking student who craves attention from girls and often acts as a catalyst for trouble. He denies involvement in the initial fight, signaling a desire to maintain his popularity. His indecisiveness highlights the peer pressure that defines teen life at the school.

🎭 Troublemaker 🌟 Attention-seeker 🧭 Indecisive

Vince (Blaine Maye)

Leader of the Wrecking Crew, a bully who wields rumors and fear to manipulate peers. His actions intensify the conflict and bring to light the fragility of the students’ social armor. He confronts consequences as the truth about his relationships surfaces.

⚔️ Bully 🧠 Manipulator 🗣️ Rumor-spreader

Emily Kerpial (Ms Kerpial) (Anna Maiche)

Leo’s Italian teacher and object of his crush, whose complex personal life becomes a focal point when a relationship with Vince emerges. Her presence exposes the school’s hidden networks, and her arrest later complicates the community’s sense of justice and trust.

💫 Crush 🕵️ Secrets ⚖️ Scandal

Jess (Indiana Massara)

Sean’s girlfriend who becomes entangled in the escalating drama. Her relationship with Sean faces strain as the truth about others comes to light, and she experiences the emotional fallout of the group’s actions.

💞 Love 🧭 Loyalty 💔 Breakup

Mr. Podkowa (Mike Starr)

A retired neighbor who ends up rescuing the boys after a dangerous escape, illustrating how kindness and second chances can emerge from past taunts. His intervention underscores the community’s capacity for redemption amid chaos.

🏡 Neighborhood 🤝 Second chances 🧭 Guidance

Dean Whitman (Greg Davis Jr)

The school dean who navigates the crisis and the prospects of merging with St. Matthews. His decisions reflect the pressures of administration when faced with violence, scandal, and student welfare.

🏛️ Administration 🧭 Decisions ⚖️ Policy

The Crusades Settings

Learn where and when The Crusades (2023) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.

Time period

Present day

The film unfolds in a contemporary high school year, where teen pressures, friendships, and reputations shape the choices characters make. The looming merger with a rival school heightens the stakes and adds political tension to school life. The events progress in a sequence typical of modern teen dramas—inside classrooms, at parties, and around the neighborhood.

Location

Our Lady of the Crusades, St. Matthews, baseball diamond

The story centers around an all-boys Catholic high school, Our Lady of the Crusades, and its rival school St. Matthews. The baseball diamond serves as a key setting for the brutal fight that drives the plot. The surrounding neighborhood and school grounds become the backdrop for the boys’ misadventures and the ensuing fallout.

🏫 School 🏟️ Stadium 🌆 Neighborhood

The Crusades Themes

Discover the main themes in The Crusades (2023). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.

🤝

Friendship

Three friends—Leo, Sean, and Jack—navigate loyalty under pressure, with violence testing the bonds that bind them. Each member grapples with guilt, truth, and the cost of protecting one another. The narrative reveals how trust can endure even after betrayals and secrets come to light. Ultimately, their friendship survives the fallout, albeit changed.

🥊

Power & Violence

The Wrecking Crew, led by Vince, wields fear to control peers and pull the students into escalating conflict. A single violent incident spirals into a larger struggle for status, safety, and voice within the school. Authority figures attempt to intervene, but intimidation clouds judgment and drives risky choices. The consequences underscore that power in teen culture often exacts a heavy price.

🕵️

Secrets & Reputation

Hidden relationships and past actions come to light, most notably the connection between Ms Kerpial and Vince and her subsequent arrest, which upends reputations. Rumors spread quickly, shaping how characters are treated and how they respond to danger. The film suggests that keeping secrets can destabilize families, teachers, and friendships as much as open conflict can.

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The Crusades Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of The Crusades (2023). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.

In the cloistered halls of Our Lady of the Crusades, a traditional Catholic boarding school teeters on the edge of upheaval. The strict routine of prayers, exams, and rigid discipline sits uneasily beside the restless energy of its students, who sense that the very foundations of their world may soon shift. Whispered talks of a possible merger with a rival institution underscore a sense of impending change, while the ever‑watchful faculty enforce rules that feel increasingly archaic. Within this charged atmosphere, the promise of a final, unforgettable weekend looms like a spark poised to ignite the night.

At the heart of the story are three inseparable friends whose bond has been forged through countless afternoons of camaraderie and mischief. Leo carries a quiet intensity, his thoughts often turning toward a secret crush on an enigmatic teacher, a yearning that adds a layer of vulnerability to his otherwise steady demeanor. Sean balances his loyalty to the group with the complications of a budding romance, his affections pulling him in directions that sometimes clash with the group’s reckless plans. Jack is the charismatic catalyst, always eager to prove himself and desperate for recognition, his restless ambition driving the trio toward ever bolder schemes.

Their weekend adventure unfolds against the backdrop of stern administrators, tangled love affairs, and the looming presence of rival students who embody the school’s competitive spirit. The tone is a blend of nostalgic teenage rebellion and heightened tension, where every prank, whispered secret, and daring sprint feels like a step toward something larger than themselves. The trio’s dynamic—Leo’s introspection, Sean’s heart‑on‑the‑line devotion, and Jack’s flamboyant bravado—creates a magnetic push‑and‑pull that keeps the audience wondering how far they will push the boundaries of rule‑breaking before the inevitable consequences catch up.

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