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 hen
they were looking for directors to take the chair
for William Monahan's epic "
Kingdom
of
Heaven
", they couldn't have found a better director
than Ridley Scott. As he proved with "Gladiator"
and "Black
Hawk Down", Scott can do epic standing on
his head with one hand tied behind his back.
Indeed, Scott's visual acumen is the main draw of
"Kingdom of Heaven", which portrays
ancient Jerusalem circa 1184 as a majestic place
of stone, brick, and overwhelming conflict where
anything and everything is possible for the
earnest and not-so earnest. If it fails in some
areas (most notably its one-sided portrayal of its
Christian villains), the film makes up with
stunning cinematography and jaw-dropping combat
sequences.
As the film opens, title
cards helpfully inform us that Christians from
Europe
have been in control of
Jerusalem
for the last 100 years, and enjoy an uneasy truce
with the Muslims that surround them. Led by
Saladin (Ghassan Massoud), the Muslims have
200,000 Saracens ready to ride into battle should
war break out between the two camps. By the grace
of God and the benevolent rule of leper King
Baldwin (Edward Norton), a truce is in effect,
albeit just barely. When he first reaches
Jerusalem
, the only thing depressed blacksmith-turned-Baron
Balian (Orlando Bloom) wants to do is work the
small piece of land given to him by his dying
father (Liam Neeson) and live in peace. Alas,
political machinations and a certain Lord's need
to be King lead to conflict with Saladin, and
Balian is forced back into action.
Of course I'm over
simplifying the plot, as "Kingdom of
Heaven" takes a good 30 minutes to get Balian
to the Holy Land, and then spends another 30
minutes setting up the politics surrounding
Jerusalem and various character's quest for power.
Most notably the haughty Guy de Lusignan (Marton
Csokas), who is married to the King's sister, the
alluring Sibylla (Eva Green), who almost
immediately develops the hots, as the kids would
say, for Balian, and vice versa. By the time the
armies have gathered for the film's first clash, a
full hour has passed. And because Monahan's script
has painstakingly introduced all the characters
and their motivations, all that's really left is
for Scott to orchestrate one massive battle scene
after another, leading to the film's final 40
minutes, which is basically one giant battle
scene.
When all is said and done,
"
Kingdom
of
Heaven
" will most be remembered for its
breathtaking action, because frankly, the
characters are lacking. Where the film drops the
ball the most is in its portrayal of the Christian
villains, most notably the cartoonish nature of
Guy de Lusignan and his lackey Reynald (Brendan
Gleeson, "28
Days Later"). These two should have
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeevil"
tattooed on their foreheads. The lack of subtlety
gives one the undeniable impression that Monahan
and Scott were going above and beyond to let
people know their movie isn't about "evil
Muslims" versus "good Christians".
No worries there, then, as the only villains that
ever appear in "
Kingdom
of
Heaven
" have gaudy crosses embroidered on their
clothing.
There are some good
performances from the veteran cast. Liam Neeson is
gone from the film much too soon, while Jeremy
Irons, as
Jerusalem
's gimpy but steadfast
Marshall
, has too little to do, and his character, too,
ends up disappearing before the final battle
scene. Once again proving that he's a brilliant
character actor, Edward Norton, his face hidden
behind a mask for the entire movie, delivers an
outstanding performance as the frail, yet strong,
King Baldwin. Eva Green ("Dreamers")
gives a sultry turn as Sibylla, although curiously
her chemistry with Bloom seems to be one way --
poor Eva is generating all the heat, while Bloom
is just going along with it.
Which leads us to star
Orlando Bloom, sans elfen ears and bow and arrow
this time around, although he swings a pretty mean
sword. Mind you, not that I entirely understand
how a blacksmith could learn to fight with a sword
so well and so fast (a couple of minutes worth of
lessons in a forest translates into a fearsome
sword slinger?), but maybe we're just suppose to
believe it. Or perhaps Balian used to be a soldier
in a past that the film never bothers to relate to
us. In any case, Bloom does well enough in the
action scenes, although his subdue presence is
sometimes a liability, especially toward the end
when the character is required to get the troops
all rah-rah for the big fight. The young man just
doesn't have the gravitas needed for the role.
If you were in a mood for
some sword-slinging, head-chopping action and
stellar cinematography, "
Kingdom
of
Heaven
" is your ticket. It doesn't tell you
anything new about the Crusades, except that those
darn Christians were pretty screwy and not all
that trustworthy, while those Muslims guys were
pretty nice if only you didn't go around slicing
off the heads of their sisters and whatnot. At
over two hours and change, the film nevertheless
feels condensed, and William Monahan's script
suffers mightily from odious Christian villainy.
Nevertheless, it's a pretty decent epic, and
certainly the script isn't any more slapdash than
that of "Gladiator", but that's another
review.
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