Review of Kingdom of Heaven (2005) by Johnathon W — 09 Mar 2015

Flawed epic that is often some of the best work Ridley Scott has ever done but misses being a masterpiece due to some Hollywood contrivances & poor characterizations. Orlando Bloom is okay but bland in the lead role of Balian, which mostly suffers from the Hollywood need to cast a young heartthrob over the actual Balian, who is far more interesting.

Most of the best performances come from the more historically accurate roles, from an un-credited Edward Norton as King Baldwin IV (displaying a regal intelligence, despite acting behind a silver mask) and Ghassan Massoud's Saladin, who captures his nobility & brilliance as a military commander.

In fact, if Scott had stuck closer to actual history, it would have been much better overall, as both Guy & Reynald, the chief villians of the film, come off as two-dimensional. Thankfully, there is a director's cut that balances out the film more, though still suffers from the main flaws.

This is still a gorgeously produced film, perfectly recreating the world of the Crusades with some brilliant battle sequences (the Siege of Jerusalem gives 'Lord of the Rings' a run for its money).

While not perfect, this is epic film-making still worth watching.