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It's hard to believe Ridley
Scott's
handsome epic won't become the cinematic touchstone
of the Crusades for years to come. Kingdom of
Heaven is greater than the sum of its parts,
delivering a vital, mostly engrossing tale following
Balian (Orlando
Bloom), a lonely French blacksmith who discovers
he's a noble heir and takes his father's (Liam
Neeson)
place in the center of the universe circa 1184:
Jerusalem.
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Here, grand battles and backdoor
politics are key as Scott and first-time screenwriter
William Monahan fashion an excellent storyline
to tackle the centuries-long conflict. Two forward-thinking
kings, Baldwin (Edward
Norton
in an uncredited yet substantial role) and Saladin
(Ghassan
Massoud),
hold an uneasy truce between Christians (who
hold the city) and Muslims while factions champ
at the bit for blood. There are good and evildoers
on both sides, with the Knights Templar taking
the brunt of the blame; Balian plans to find
his soul while protecting Baldwin and the people.
The look of the film, as nearly everything is
from Scott, is impressive: his CGI-infused battle
scenes rival the LOTR series and, with cinematographer
John Mathieson, create postcard beauty with
snowy French forests and the vast desert (filmed
in Morocco and Spain). An excellent supporting
cast, including Jeremy
Irons,
Brendan
Gleeson,
and David
Thewlis,
also help make the head and heart of the film
work. Many critics pointed out that Bloom doesn't
have the gravitas of Russell
Crowe
in the lead (then again, who does?), but it's
the underdeveloped character and not the actor
that hurts the film and impacts its power. Balian
isn't given much more to do than be sullen and
give an occasional big speech, alongside his
perplexing abilities for warfare tactics and
his wandering moral compass (whose sole purpose
seems to be to put a love scene in the movie).
Note: all the major characters except Neeson's
are based on fact, but many are heavily fictionalized.
--Doug Thomas --This text refers
to the Theatrical Release edition.
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