Kingdom of Heaven **** (2005, Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Liam Neeson) – Classic Movie Review 1075

On the level of sheer film-making expertise, director Ridley (Gladiator, Alien) Scott’s dark, sweeping, eye-popping 2005 epic is a marvel. It has all the amazing action, astounding effects, visual magnificence and minute attention to detail of period, character and plot that anyone could possibly ask.

Orlando Bloom shines as French blacksmith-turned-knight Balian of Ibelin, who takes up his sword to defend the peace in the Kingdom of Heaven – Jerusalem – in the 12th-century Holy Land Crusades.

The yarn is peopled with memorable characters – Balian, his new-found father Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson), his knight confessor the Hospitaler (David Thewlis), his beloved Sibylla (Eva Green), her hated power-crazed husband Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas), the sick, masked Christian king Baldwin (Edward Norton), his wise adviser Tiberias (Jeremy Irons), the evil baddie Reynald (Brendan Gleeson), and the legendary Muslim leader Saladin (Ghassan Massoud).

If the story in William Monahan’s screenplay is not quite as riveting or accessible as Gladiator’s or Troy’s, the writing is unfalteringly intelligent and truthful.  With a vast budget of $130million, the production and effects are even more extraordinary than Gladiator’s or Troy’s, and eclipsing even those of the mighty The Lord of the Rings. The mood is burningly intense and immediate.

Maybe there’s a little too much weight placed on the lean shoulders of young Orlando Bloom here, but he valiantly defends his right to the role, just like he fights for Jerusalem.

The movie is another notch in the fine armoury of the great Scott. The film runs 144 minutes but the magnificent cinema-released Director’s Cut is nearly an hour longer at 192 minutes. It is reportedly the version Scott originally wanted released to cinemas. He noted that the simpler plotted, less sophisticated original version was watered down, and, by editing, ‘You’ve gone in there and taken little bits from everything’.

The film flopped in the US and Canada, earning only $47million, but did better elsewhere with the worldwide box office earnings totalling $211million. The DVD release and well-received Director’s Cut rescued it nicely.

Scott filmed in Ouarzazate, Morocco, where he had previously filmed Gladiator and Black Hawk Down. Filming also took place in Spain, at the Loarre Castle (Huesca), Segovia, Ávila, Palma del Río and Casa de Pilatos in Sevilla.

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© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1903

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William of Tyre discovers Baldwin IV’s leprosy. His accounts form the historical basis for much of the film.