a central theme.Much is said about how the film portrays religion, given the sensitive subject of the Crusades, but I feel that Ridley has achieved a wonderful balance between how Christianity and Islam are portrayed. Both are given fair airtime on their ideologies, and the film tries to preach pardon the pun about tolerance, yet highlights the dangers of fanatical followers of both religions, of misguidance from men in search of worldly power.Which Christianity took a beating - where senseless battles are waged in the name of Christ, where insensitivity breed contempt. Preists are cast in negative light and given lines like "convert to Islam, repent later" when all around seems lost. It is emphasized in the show that what matters is in your head and in your heart - that noble actions speak louder than mere empty and repetitive "praise the Lord" chants, as if that will protect you during Judgement Day.Orlando Bloom plays Balian, a blacksmith who became a fugitive, but inherited land and army from his father, Godfrey, played by Liam Neeson. The film can be broadly categorized into 3 acts - the first in which Balian searches for his identity and new life in Jerusalem, the second in which the focus is on religion and politics of the time, and the last, the spectacular siege and war.Bloom puts up a commendable performance, so to his detractors out there, you're in for a big surprise. Edward Norton had the difficult task of acting through a mask as leper King Baldwin, and I applaud Ridley's decision of casting real Muslim actors to learn from them.Fans of Eva Green might be disappointed that the relationship between Balian and Queen Sibylla was played down to focus on the battles, but I feel it's a fair trade off.Firstly, some of you might not like the quick-cut-MTV style editing in Gladiator's fight scenes, especially the close ups. This is repeated here though, in a blood splattering manner. The pan-out and general landscape sweeps are mindblowing, and will leave you wanting more. Think about the battles that you see Lord of The Rings Two Towers and Return of the King - the siege on Helm's Deep and Minas Tirith - Kingdom of Heaven delivers the equivalent, probably even better without the fantasy elements . This is one medieval war movie whose battles will stick in your mind for some time.The audience were the only disappointing experience for me - they were laughing at a dialogue near the end, where a "knight" asked who Balian was, and he answered "I'm the blacksmith", in which the "knight" answered "I'm the King". Laughter was abound in the theatre. I was like, HELL-O people! See that lion motif on his armour? That's Richard the Lionheart! D'uh! The Crusades didn't end there, it waged on...What is Jerusalem worth? Nothing, everything. Watch this, and in my opinion, it has Oscar written all over it. Now to hit the library and research more on the subject!

time of the Crusades , Balian a blacksmith becomes a knight to defend Jerusalem from Muslim invaders.Bloom as the protagonist who doesn't believe in God or religion, "I am just a blacksmith", undergoes a spiritual journey that tests both his values as a man do I stay here and fight for people of Jerusalem and his ideals about religion. He also has his morality come into question through almost the entire movie, does his give into temptation and join the dissenters of the church Guy De Lusignan or does he kill and lie to get what is offered a seat of the throne.The directing is brilliant, I believe this is shot on location if not, the sets, the special effects and budget really show. Ridley Scott as the veteran has a great eye for setting up locales, key battle scenes and incredible emotional characters.Balian's character is also 100% vulnerable he takes his series of hard shots and hangs on to claim victory just when you think the numbers are against the guy he finds a way to outsmart his opponents.Back to story. Balian kills a priest who mocks his late wife who committed suicide. "she is in hell because she committed suicide" and so Balian out of rage and the contempt this guy has for him kills him. He is now a fugitive. When he learns Godfrey of Ibelin is his father, , Godfrey wants him to fight in the crusades and go to Jerusalem.Balian still in shock doesn't want to go with his dad. When the authorities come to claim Balian and execute him, there is a big battle which results in some of Godfrey's nights being killed. Balian seeing the sacrifice the knights have done for him, finally does go with his father.Balian gets christened as a knight, but doesn't believe in God, is not an atheist per say, he believes in death but he doesn't believe in the greater good.This is a key issue being brought up throughout the movie, what is religion? Is it just words or actions that we live by. Does God really offer us hope and salvation, and the answer is yes.When his dad dies and through the speeches with Hospitaller David Thewlis who talks about him about religion that Balian he starts to have a spiritual awakening of sorts. Exposed to the poor people of Jerusalem , Balian uses his new power as a lord and a knight to build up shelters and provide water for the people as he says which I am paraphrasing he is trying to be a good man and trying to aid the helpless.Hospitaller: "Religion is not made up by fanatics.. it's about your rite of actions" He makes the analogy that religion really is about who you are as a person and by what you do , not by what you preach as a so called Christian.Eva Green is Sybilla the future queen of Jerusalem whose brother King Baldiwn Norton is sick and near death. Sybilla likes Balian of Ibelin Bloom because she feels he is brave and good. She hates her husband Guy who is one of the knights for King of Jerusalem. She mentions she was forced to marry him in a prearranged deal so there's an internal conflict with Guy and Balian. Guy and Balian previously meet early on when Godfrey introduces him to Lord Tiberius Jeremy Irons and Hospitaller. Sybilla also undergoes a transformation in the film as well, when the King dies, she sees in Balian leadership that is absent in her husband.Balian visits places in Jerusalem like the place of Christ's crucifixion and gathers within himself spiritual strength and a sense of direction to the turbulence around him.The Muslim characters in the movie consists of Saladin Ghassan Massoud and , Muslim Grandee Nasser Memazia who want Jerusalem for other uses such as for the nation of Islam. I should say the Muslim characters in this film get a large bulk of screen time. Furthermore, their characters are treated with respect and almost admiration. In fact Scott tells us their back story as well and we see display of Muslim religion in the movie such as Muslim praying in mosques and in the city of Jerusalem.This reminds me of the Palestian/Israeli conflict of sorts where you have both sides that believe in God but are battling for the control of one city, despite the fact that they both profess to believing in God. Some questions to ponder are these other people with religious ideals worse than we say they are, or are they merely some religious fanatics misusing the name of God for power? Couple that the moral questions that almost every character goes through and the questioning and denouncement and spiritual awakening of God and my you got yourself a thought provoking film.KOH is a great film. Not only is it full of action and great characters and wonderful acting but it also has a good story and challenges you as an audience to think about the messages in the movie long after you've left the theater!!!

character performance. Liam Neeson is great as usual, as Balian's long lost father. Jeremy Irons is a great pick because he looks like he's from the crusades and his voice is undeniable. Obviously he's a great actor as well. Eva Green does very well for basically being the only woman in the film and she also fits the the time period well. Martin Csoskas give a great show as the bloodthirsty wanna-be king. Brendan Gleeson.. Do I even need to say anything? The man is incredible. He's so great at being the jerk. Ghassan Massoud and Alexander Siddig do great as playing Muslims in the film. Edward Norton is completely astounding in his uncredited performance as the leper King Baldwin. He is one of my favorite characters in the film.Music: The music score for this movie is definitely in the top 10. Harry Gregson-Williams delivers a powerful score in this one. Gregson-Williams was a great pick though straying from Ridley Scott's usual Hans Zimmer.Other: The sets, the costumes, the editing, the cinematography are all superior. They are all very authentic and beautiful and add to the films realness.Ridley Scott is brilliant. You can definitely see a resemblance of Gladiator in KOH, which is a great thing because who doesn't like Gladiator. His ability to create worlds is unlike any other director in history. The 4-Disc Director's Cut allows you to see more of what Ridley Scott's methods are like.4-Disc Director's Cut: It has everything you want to see. It puts approximately 45 minutes back into the film and what a great 45 minutes it is. It goes much more in depth especially with Eva Green's Character Sibylla. It includes all the essentials that you would want in a 4-Disc set.Overall this is a great film and has become one of my very favorites since the past year or so. There is something about it that even makes it rival the quality of Gladiator. It was very underrated by critics and was very well deserving of some Oscars. Watch it!

was too long and definitely wants to see it again. We both thought of Gladiator because that's what all the ads say - from the Director of Gladiator. I also liked this movie a lot. So we will likely see it again when it is released. There is a lot going on in this movie.**** SPOILERS FOLLOW **** SO STOP HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW ****Highlights for me included Balian and his father's scenes which, for me, really showed Liam Neeson off well, especially his death scene , the scene when Balian awakens on the beach and fights his first Seracin sp? , his time spent by himself in Jerusalem, his 1st meeting and battle with Saladin, his refusal to do a small evil for great good and that whole series of scenes, the final, amazing battle sequence, and the ending though that was a bit dreamy - I mean what are they gonna do now without a kingdom? I liked both the movie ending and the ending of the battle. I even like when Balian meets King Richard: "I am a blacksmith" And I am the King of England." "I am a blacksmith."Other favorite lines "This is not a good horse." Not sure if I am remembering this correctly , "Perhaps if I'd had a different teacher" between Saladin and his buddy about how the battle is going. Lots of cool, cheesy, must-see-again stuff like that.Needless to say, I thought the movie showed off Bloom and Neeson very well, though Neeson's role was fairly short. I think Jeremy Irons was underutilized, though that was consistent with his character I think. Loved David Thewlis also. Hubby did think that Russell Crowe is a more intense commander than Bloom. I thought Bloom created a character more in tune with his own personality less yelling and screaming and who had a commanding presence of his own.To me Gladiator might be a bit better than Kingdom but also different. Kingdom is definitely on a much grander scale, with huge battle scenes, which I loved. I especially love that Bloom's character Balian fights without mercy and that there are things like cutting where the horses' legs would be, using various items to injure/put down the enemy and just plain doing whatever it takes to get the enemy down. This is definitely a 'dirtier" bloodier movie than Gladiator, which was much more symbolic violence than "let's see the man's head hacked off". So for battle sequences, Kingdom wins hands down. However, Lucilla and Maximus were a better developed pair than Balian and Sybilla, so that part, for me, made Gladiator edge out Kingdom. Sybilla is more moody than a real person until the end and my impression was there was too much to do for Balian to have time for love.There is some stylization here - such as the blood splatters and some battle movements - but overall very well used.Unlike hubby, I did think the movie was a bit long but then I have trouble sitting longer than about an hour and a half, so I was fidgeting a bit, which caused me to notice that no one else was fidgeting. I also fidgeted at the Lord of the Rings, etc. Basically anything long :- This was an all adult crowd, so who knows what kiddies would have thought. Anyways, a very enjoyable evening. Very glad we went.

perfect. The scenery was stunning and there were tons and tons of extras. Certainly one of the best Ridley Scott movies that I have seen so far. On May 6th, pay the six bucks, and prepare to see one of the best movies of the year!!!

not substantially. The Director's cut should have been the official version of the movie, the theatrical cut is a poor excuse.

around medieval Clermont and Vézelay where Pope Urban and Bernard of Clairvaux delivered their momentous calls to arms for the first two Crusades. And in the recreation of Jerusalem, the film artists truly drew us into the twelfth-century walled city with sacred roots in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Much credit should go to cinematographer John Mathieson, costume designer Janty Yates, and all of the film's art directors. The film's events spanned the era between the Second and Third Crusades, and the evocation of this epoch was simply spectacular.In the genre of the epic film, the leading actor is crucial, as in the unforgettable performances of "Lawrence of Arabia" Peter O'Toole , "Tess" Nastassja Kinski , and "Bridge on the River Kwai" Alec Guiness . One weakness of "Kingdom of Heaven" is leading performer Orlando Bloom. Although this young actor has fine screen presence, his performance was subdued and monochromatic. The Crusaders were driven by zeal, and Bloom's character Balian seems mired in melancholia following the death of his infant child and the subsequent suicide of his wife. Bloom's character does not even evolve much even after arriving in Jerusalem, he falls in love with the mysterious Sibylla. Neither courtly love nor the fires of faith could ignite much passion in Bloom. As Sibylla, Eva Green also seemed out of place in this film. A close historical prototype for her character was the formidable Eleanor of Aquitaine, who accompanied her husband King Louis on the Second Crusade, during which Eleanor allegedly had a torrid love affair with her uncle Raymond of Antioch. But Eva Green's character seemed closer to a young woman from the twenty-first century, as opposed to the twelfth.Other performances were stronger, including those of Liam Neeson as Balian's father, Jeremy Irons as Tiberias, and Edward Norton as the King. Those actors really resembled medieval knights. Norton's characterization of a king struggling with leprosy and forced to wear a mask was one of the most sensitive character portraits since Ralph Fiennes' role as "The English Patient." Norton's characterization offers a glimpse into the softer side of the great medieval knights, such as the legendary Richard the Lionheart, a poet and troubadour, as well as a king. Ghassan Massoud also merits praise for his portrayal of Saladin as not only a brilliant general, but a figure of great dignity.One of the themes of the excellent screenplay was that of honor. The actions of the main character of Balian were guided by honor. And the character of Saladin was portrayed as an individual of great moral rectitude. The Western cultural heritage of chivalry, courtly love, and honor filtered into Europe through Islamic traditions, which "Kingdom of Heaven" clearly acknowledges. There is a powerful sequence in the film where Saladin discovers a small Christian cross that has toppled over. He takes the time to pick up the fallen cross and set it aright. In a film filled with special effects and spectacular scenes of siege warfare, that moment of simplicity stands out as a brilliant cinematic moment.

movies, but they did a great job.Portrayal of the Muslims. EXTREMELY fair. In being "even-handed" to Christians and Muslims there, if anything, they emphasized the Christian fanatics in the form of the Templars in particular, to simplify things as being the "badguys" more than anyone else... which is historically accurate to some degree, in my understanding . I was surprised and pleased that they tried to be accurate, and didn't try to emphasize some "BAD MUSLIMS" to make it "even".Movie is very secular in it's moralizing.And it portrays Christianity particularly religious men, VERY badly the Priest who steals the cross from Bloom's wife's corpse... the Bishop in Jerusalem who's ready to convert to Islam at the first sign of defeat... and who also wants to abandon the civilians... the knights templar... I thought this got a tad gratuitous. There were really NO GOOD Christian FIGURES IN THE MOVIE. The only good purported Christians were basically acting Agnostic Bloom, Neeson, etc. The actual religious Christians were made out to be hypocrites.Meanwhile Saladhudin was a man of honor.. but also somewhat moderate.Movie could definitely have a little more narrative focus and maybe have a little more of an emotional circle for Orlando Bloom character. The emotional arc is ALREADY complete fairly early in the movie Bloom becomes a man of conscience ... and it's kind of boring since the character doesn't really move after that.But the movie tackled a HUGE topic and tackled it fairly well. I just wish there was a better script to handle the compelling personal journey for Orlando Bloom from widower, murderer seeking redemption, lost bastard son that was PROMISED at the beginning.It seems that as soon as he brings water to his father's old land, he's just about done his journey, and it turns into a simple historical battle movie. but a darn good one

wise nobility of his character. The battle scenes are excellent including one in falling snow in which the snowflakes seem to hang in the air and the armies look very historically realistic - this is a very good-looking epic. Formulaic perhaps, but well-executed. Kingdom of Heaven made me feel like leaving the "blacksmithy" that is our dull modern urban existence and finding a cause worth fighting for, but Crusades just aren't what they used to be D