The Last Crusade
A father's quest for faith meets a son's journey to understand him.
Set primarily in 1938, this third film is the narrative sequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark and explores the complexities of fatherhood alongside the pursuit of the Holy Grail. The story thrusts Dr. Henry Jones Sr., Indiana's estranged father, into the spotlight after he is kidnapped by Nazi forces seeking the legendary cup of Christ.
Lore & Background
Central to the story is the dynamic between Indiana and his father, Henry Jones Sr., a professor of medieval literature who cared more about looking for the Grail than raising his son. Henry's diary holds his research on the Grail and guides Indy through the temple's traps.
Reader's Guide
Fast-forward to 1938: Indiana receives word that Henry Jones Sr. has vanished while chasing the Grail's legend. With his father's diary, Indy travels to Venice with Marcus Brody to meet Henry's associate, the Austrian art professor Elsa Schneider. Beneath the library where Henry was last seen, Indy and Elsa find an inscribed shield showing that the path to the Grail begins in Alexandretta; attacked by the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword, Indy saves its leader Kazim and learns that his father is held at Brunwald Castle in Austria. After escaping the castle, recovering the diary in Berlin and fleeing on a Zeppelin, Indy and Henry reach Hatay, defeat Vogel's convoy and enter the Grail's temple, whose traps Indy overcomes with the diary.
More in Adventures & Films
Elsewhere in Indiana Jones
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced