Kingdom of Heaven: A Fight For Nothing and Everything
Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Safeguard the helpless, and do no wrong.
I’m sure Sir Ridley Scott is miffed every time someone makes a comparison between Gladiator (2000) and Kingdom of Heaven. After all, the Oscar-winning sword-and-sandal flick was a violent epic set in a historical period where a man’s courage and faith was put to the test. And Kingdom of Heaven is… well… Alright, so there are many similarities between these films. You see, this is Ridley Scott taking the safe road.
The year is 1184. The French blacksmith Balian (Orlando Bloom) is visited by a knight, Godfrey (Liam Neeson), who tells him that he is Balian’s father and that he would like it if he accompanied him on his journey to Jerusalem. Balian tells him no, but a murder makes him change his mind; he comes to the Holy City hoping for salvation, both for him and his wife who committed suicide. Balian learns that Jerusalem, which was conquered by Christian Crusaders a century ago, is a fairly peaceful place where Christians and Muslims live side by side without much trouble. But when Godfrey dies and Balian, being his son, is made knight he also reluctantly becomes a player in the political intrigues that threaten to destroy Baldwin (Edward Norton), the leper king of Jerusalem. In the end, Balian finds himself organizing the defense of the city against an impressive Muslim force led by the powerful but benign Saladin. The filmmakers have made certain changes for creative purposes, but this is essentially a true story and an interesting historical chapter that we rarely hear much about. Mr. Scott clearly wants to be fair to everyone in this story—there are no wicked religions, only wicked men. This politically correct attitude is too obvious at times, but it’s easy to sympathize with it. Only in the climactic battle of Jerusalem does this attitude become a problem. We see Christians and Muslims killing each other, but since everyone is such a nice guy there is no one here to hate. That hurts the viewers’ emotional investment in the battle, but it is a hopeless case to argue. You can’t very well expect the filmmakers to simplify things and pretend it’s a fight between Good and Evil.
This was the first film Mr. Bloom was expected to carry; he does a good-enough job as the blacksmith who finds salvation by using power wisely but you’re not exactly prepared to grab a sword after his call to arms prior to the battle of Jerusalem. Jeremy Irons and Mr. Neeson are in the cast to lend the film the weight Mr. Bloom is unable to provide, but their parts are not that interesting. Mr. Norton does a better job as the suffering leper king who hides his disfigured face behind a mask. The film looks great but those of you who saw Gladiator will see that cinematographer John Mathieson is virtually pulling the same rabbit out of his hat; there are many resemblances.
Admittedly, there are several negative ingredients that mar this film. Still, Kingdom of Heaven makes a determined effort to show how people have always used religion as an excuse for power struggles. Saladin puts it best when Balian asks him what Jerusalem is worth: “Nothing. Everything.”
Kingdom of Heaven 2005-U.S-Britain-Spain-Germany. 145 min. Color. Widescreen. Produced and directed by Ridley Scott. Cinematography: John Mathieson. Cast: Orlando Bloom (Balian), Liam Neeson (Godfrey), Eva Green (Sibylla), Jeremy Irons, David Thewlis, Brendan Gleeson… Edward Norton.
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