KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
Classic Movie Review

In the year 1184, a village blacksmith named Balian (Orlando Bloom) retreats into a dark state of disillusionment after the deaths of his wife and child. Feeling truly lost, he travels to the Holy Land in order to find peace. Once there, Balian soon finds himself assuming his father’s place as the leader of the French army, in a fight to protect the city of Jerusalem.

PLEASE NOTE: The following review will focus on the DIRECTOR’S CUT of the film. There is no doubt that this version, as originally conceived, is the better one. The differences between the two cuts are like night and day; characters are now fully developed, subplots are now fully illuminated...it truly is an entirely different and vastly superior film. As far as I’m concerned, the theatrical cut no longer exists.

REVIEW:

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is set during the Crusades, that bloody time in history when a slew of European monarchs invaded Jerusalem because they felt it needed to be conquered. We follow Bloom’s Balian to a Holy Land that is teetering on the edge of war. A tentative truce has been established between the Muslim king Saladin (Ghassan Massoud) and the French king Baldwin IV (Edward Norton). However, there are some Knights on the French side who do not want peace because they feel that the people of Jerusalem should be converted, not cooperated with.

I admire the way that there are heroes and villains on BOTH sides of the conflict. Actually, now that I think of it, the only true villains of the film are actually on the French side; namely, Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas) and his right hand man Reynald de Chatillon (the great Brendan Gleeson), who are conspiring to start the aforementioned holy war. Saladin and his generals are presented as sensible, honorable men, and are not just empty cardboard "towel heads," as some movies have portrayed their race in the past. In fact, there is actually a lot going on thematically in KOH...the different facets of religious devotion, using "God's will" as an easy way out, and honor among adversaries, to name a few. The film’s villains and heroes may not be clearly defined at times, but its themes certainly are. In fact, the last two dialogue exchanges in the film serve as the perfect punctuation marks for an incredibly well thought out script.

Upon repeat viewings, I’ve realized that every character exists in this film in order to further develop Balian and his inner journey. Every person he encounters teaches him something about his past, his undiscovered courage, or his own self-worth. It’s truly a masterful display of screenwriting...which should come as no surprise, seeing as the writer of this film is William Monahan, who went on to write THE DEPARTED. In particular, Edward Norton and Liam Neeson serve as father figures for Balian (Neeson plays his actual biological father). They truly lead by example, and their important life lessons help Balian come back into the spiritual light, so to speak. Eva Green plays Sibylla, sister to Norton’s King Baldwin, and the fact that Balian grows to love her truly proves that all is not lost, even when it seems to be. This film does an outstanding job at exploring its central protagonist.

Speaking of the characters, this movie was exceptionally well-cast, as you can probably tell by now. I haven’t even mentioned Jeremy Irons and David Thewlis yet, who play the Marshall of Jerusalem and a warrior monk, respectively. And, I have to mention Liam Neeson again, because he is always great. Undoubtedly, the most interesting character is King Baldwin, who is stricken with leprosy and thus is never seen without a silver mask. Norton was excellent in this role; in fact, due to his hidden countenance and tragic disease, he ends up being the most haunting and memorable presence in the film.

However, most surprising of all was Orlando Bloom. I didn't think he could anchor a movie on his own. Let's face it; nothing he has done so far has actually depended on him to carry it along. Not to mention that he has basically played the same character (i.e. the stoic young warrior) in almost every film he’s been in; he hasn’t exactly displayed a wide range. Until I saw him here, I was sort of convinced that he was a bland screen presence; the only reason he stood out as Legolas in the LORD OF THE RINGS was because he was always given some crazy badass stuff to do, not because of his performance. Now, Bloom certainly doesn't break new ground in KOH, and he does indeed play yet another stoic warrior, but it is nevertheless a performance that fits the film. He makes for a fine center to KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. I, at least, bought him as the leader he eventually grows into over the course of the story.

The technical aspects of KINGDOM OF HEAVEN are as praiseworthy as its creative aspects. The cinematography in particular is a sight to behold. I think that's a given, seeing as Ridley Scott is one of the top visual artists in the game. Every scene was just plain gorgeous to look at...from the swirling snowflakes of the France-set opening, to the orange sands of Jerusalem. It is, without a doubt, visually stunning, which is a quality one can attribute to all of Scott’s films, starting from the very beginning of his career.

Now, don’t go thinking that this movie is all talk. There are several set pieces here that should satisfy your inner action junkie. The battle scenes in this movie are extremely well done...especially the final siege and the first small skirmish in the French woods. Yet, I couldn't help but compare them to the LORD OF THE RINGS. It seems as if Peter Jackson has made it impossible to watch a cinematic battle outside of his trilogy ever again. LOTR has planted a huge, unreachable bar right smack in the middle of the medieval/swordplay genre, and I'm afraid that it will never be reached. But, I like to judge every movie on its own merits, and the battles in KOH are nonetheless spectacular.

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