After a year of disappointing epics like Troy, Alexander and Ocean’s 12 (snerk) it is difficult not to be apprehensive at the idea of another sweeping costume drama that falls short of the mark. Take heart fellow movie-goers, there is a bright spot on the horizon. Once again the master Ridley Scott has given us a reason to go the movies. Kingdom of Heaven is smart and engrossing and well worth the price of fuel to get to your local Cineplex.
The story is about a disillusioned Blacksmith named Balian (Bloom), who follows his long-lost warrior father (Liam Neeson) to the Holy Land and the service of Jerusalem’s Christian King played by a concealed Ed Norton. There has been a peace between the Christian rulers of Jerusalem and Saracen King who rules the surrounding land for 100 years. But politics and power hungry knights look to shatter the accord for “holy war.” Entangled in the web of half-truths and intrigue are the King’s sister (Eva Green) and the Marshal of Jerusalem (Jeremy Irons) who look to the righteous Balian for protection as the Saracen King marches on the city with his great army. It’s a story seeped in history while it rings with the truth of modern folly.
Once again we feast on Scott’s other-worldly landscapes and sumptuous interiors. Jerusalem feels like an ancient, lived-in, work-a-day city, even in the 1100’s when Balian arrives. Much as we were in awe of the majesty that was Rome in Gladiator, we are treated to vistas of the Holy city that are equally as spectacular. For the battle scenes the camera is in the thick of the action capturing the brutal force of medieval warfare with bone-cracking authenticity. Let’s be straight here, this is not your Grandparent’s crusade movie. Robert Taylor never would have made it past the first skirmish. Credit goes to the SFX artists on this film. Unlike the obvious CGI armies of films like Troy, the work here felt true. You get a true feeling of the scale of King Saladin’s army with out thinking it’s yet another in the long line of gratuitous CGI shots.
Unlike the obvious CGI armies of films like Troy, the work here felt true.
The story is intricate and in some places convoluted. There are a great deal of characters to get to know, many of which have a short shelf-life. Tremendous character actors like Brendan Gleeson, Jeremy Irons, and David Thewlis play their parts with relish. Brendan in particular (the second hardest working actor behind Brian Cox who I believe was in every movie last year) is a pleasure to watch as the war mongering Reynald. I fear Eva Green’s better performances were left on the cutting room floor. Her Sybilla seemed superfluous, just there to give Balian an unnecessary love-interest. I came into the movie with my prejudices about how I though Orlando’s performance would be and he exceeded my expectations on many counts. In Troy, his Paris had a few well-done scenes where I could point to and exclaim: “Look he really can act!” The rest of the time he was just very pretty eye candy. KOH is a major role in a huge epic, facts that were not lost on him and his director. Balian is weary and wary and that’s the expression Bloom has on his face for the majority of the film. After a while I was hoping for a little more life in that face, a smile perhaps? But to his credit Orlando carries this film off with a cool confidence that shows right down to his swagger. Ridley, would it have hurt to have a couple shirtless shots? Hook a girl up.
At the end, though, I walked out of the theater feeling like there was something missing. Someone else put it into the exact words I was looking for: There is no heart to this movie. In Gladiator for example, from the very first scene to the bitter-sweet end the audience was rooting for Maximus. His goal was fairly obvious and there was no question that we were all behind him. In KOH we don’t have that clear of a picture of why Balian is doing what his he doing, what his motivation is. I don’t think this is the fault of the performance or of the direction. I think whatever was revealed to be the driving force for Balian was lost in editing for the sake of time. In the end, we’re all just along for the ride, stumbling through the unfamiliar environments like our protagonist.
Kingdom of Heaven has a tall order to fill and I think it succeeds far more than it doesn’t. Gorgeous camera work, exciting battle scenes, some fine performances, and a little history lesson for you, what more could you ask from your movie?
The film opens May 6 in the US and UK.
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