Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4009 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-10-03
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 144 minutes

Amazon.com
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. 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, Amazon.com

Synopsis
Director Ridley Scott confronts hundreds of years of religious conflict in KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. An epic film set in Europe and the Middle East, the story follows one man's struggle to better himself and the world around him. Orlando Bloom stars as Balian, a French blacksmith who is mourning the deaths of his wife and baby when his estranged nobleman father (Liam Neeson) arrives and asks him to join the Crusades in Jerusalem. Mindful that conducting the Lord's work will help him atone for his sins, Balian agrees, and embarks on the perilous journey. Along the way, he reveals his gifts of inherent goodness and fair treatment of all human beings. Upon reaching Jerusalem, a city where his meagre beginnings no longer matter, Balian earns respect and fealty, while the evil Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas) looks down his aristocratic nose at the former labourer. As he did in GLADIATOR, Scott explores the theme of a man who chooses his fate, instead of accepting the fate given to him at birth. Balian comes to life in Jerusalem, protecting the weak and defenceless as his father told him he must, and catching the eye of the beautiful Princess Sibylla (Eva Green), unhappily married to de Lusignan. Scott paints a stirring portrait of the struggle over Jerusalem among Christians, Jews, and Muslims. In doing so, he also shows the passionate fight for religious freedom. KINGDOM OF HEAVEN ably handles these delicate issues, effectively treating characters from all factions as individuals and not as stereotypes. By placing a virtuous man at the centre of this conflict, Scott creates a powerful, universal story.

Customer Reviews

This is a great film
Just purchased this from amazon. watched it today. all i can say is WOW. love the film. There are a few Hollywood style scenes in the film but look past it, great entertainment.

You will not regreat buying and watching the film!!!

Mishal

An embarassment for Ridley Scott
I bought this film despite Orlando Bloom, believing (wrongly) that a director of Ridly Scott's stature may be able to wring some tiny piece of acting ability from him.....He directed Alien ffs, surely this would be a great film!

The film started well. As you may expect from Scott, we were treated to great atmospherics and superb cinematograpy. But the high point of the film was about 5 minutes in and thereafter it slowly deteriorated.

The plot was implausible of course but that was never really the problem....it was just badly acted and disjointed and rambled on to a ridiculous conclusion.

The best thing about this film in fact is that Keira Knightly is not in it!

One to avoid....

Better than expected
I liked the look of this film when it was first released, but didn't make it to the cinema and was then put off by a few reviews that didn't rate it too highly. I finally saw it on TV and thought that it was a superb film, full of action and with incredible battle scenes. One of the other reviwers commented that Orlando Bloom's expression doesn't change much, but - for the ladies - trust me, it really doesn't need to. The one he has certainly does it for me! Seriously, I think he handled the character well, playing the role with understated assurance. Overall, bloody, but very enjoyable.