Kingdom of Heaven
A Film Review By Clyde Ayles
GREAT SCOTT
Director RIDLEY SCOTT knows how to make a movie. He gave us”Alien", "Blade runner", and "Gladiator" to name a few. Now he offers us a real epic. "Kingdom Of Heaven" takes place between the Second and the Third Crusades. ORLANDO BLOOM is a blacksmith turned warrior who gets caught up in a battle against anything religious. Balian ( Bloom) leaves his small French town to join the father he never knew (LIAM NEESON) in Jerusalem. We learn that Balian's wife had killed herself and her baby. When a priest belittled her posthumously, he tore the cross from the priest's chest and pushed him into a fire, where he burned to death. After that, Balian lost his religion. But soon after he arrives in Jerusalem, his father dies, leaving him in the midst of a war between the Christians, led by the masked King Baldwin who suffers fron leprosy, and Muslim leader Saladin (GHASSAN MASSOUD). He also finds himself the target of scheming by military adviser Tiberias (JEREMY IRONS). He also finds time to romance the beautiful princess Sybylla (EVA GREEN), The battle scenes are very well done. Cannons smoke, swords blood and heads flying all over the place. But there are too many wasted moments in between. The film runs too long at 2 hrs 25 minutes. Also, I couldn't buy Orlando Bloom as the great warrior. Just not rugged enough. But it's a Ridley Scott film and that's enough for me.. SEE YA AT THE MOVIES CLYDE
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© 2005 Clyde Ayles