Director: Ridley Scott
Writer: William Monahan
Producesr: Lisa Ellzey, Terry Needham, Branko Lustig, Ridley Scott
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Major Stars: Orlando Bloom, Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons, Edward Norton, David Thewlis, Alexander Siddig, Eva Green, Brendan Gleeson
I know I am in the minority here, but I don’t care. I think Kingdom of Heaven is a damn fine film. And Orlando Bloom did a good job in his role of Balian. Deal with it.
Now, I may be biased in favor of this movie. I’m a military history buff and the Crusades are one of my favorite periods. So to see someone the caliber of Ridley Scott attempt to capture the magnitude of this time on film makes me pleased.
But he really did a fine job here. The scope of the film defines the word “epic.” The Siege of Jerusalem at film’s end is amazing to watch and historically accurate in the gear and weaponry the two sides use.
Which isn’t to say that the film is entirely accurate. Truth is, Scott plays around with history a bit. Balian wasn’t a blacksmith but a born-and-bred knight. He was older. He was involved with serious intrigue in the Kingdom of Jerusalem in trying to choose a successor to Baldwin IV’s son.
But more on that in a second. To sum up the film, Balian (Bloom) is a blacksmith in France. His father, Baron Godfrey of Ibelin (Neeson), finds him to bring him to Jerusalem and be his heir. Godfrey dies on the way and Balian becomes the new Lord of Ibelin. He becomes involved with the politics of Jerusalem and grows close to King Baldwin IV and has an affair with his sister, Sybilla. Her husband Guy (the lord of Jerusalem after Baldwin’s death) and his friend, Raynald of Châtillon, provoke Saladin into a war. They stupidly lead their army into a massacre at Hattin and leave Balian on his own to defend Jerusalem against the approaching army of Saladin.
The cinematography through the film (kudos to John Matheson) is top-notch. Scott shot the film in Morocco , so you really get the feel of what it was like to live in the 12th century in the Crusader Kingdoms. There are sweeping shots of the scenery and of battles (the beginning of the Battle of Kerak being one) that are just so impressive. Combined with a great score (Harry Gregson-Williams) it just enhances the entire experience of the film.
The acting is solid throughout. Bloom does a good job as Balian. People have derided his slight stature, when in reality he wouldn’t have been a hulking mountain of muscle. The real Balian was a smart knight, one of fought with his brain as well as his sword. And Bloom conveyed that nicely. Neeson was great in his short time and Brendan Gleeson is wickedly enjoyable as the detestable Raynald.
