 Movie
Reviews
with Evelyn Gough
Kingdom of Heaven (M)
Directed by Ridley Scott
 If
I was asked to name my favourite directors, Ridley Scott would be high on the
list. Whether he's directing terrifying aliens, massive battle scenes or temperamental
Aussie actors, his talent is unmistakeable.
I therefore had high hopes for his latest grandiose epic Kingdom
of Heaven. Set in the 12th century between the Second and Third
Crusades, it recounts the tale of fictional character Balian (Orlando
Bloom), the bastard son of a Crusader-Knight (Liam Neeson). Wanted
for the murder of a priest and desperate to find salvation, the
lowly blacksmith is knighted by his dying father before setting
sail for the Kingdom of Heaven, aka Jerusalem.
Here his many adventures include sleeping with a princess (Eva
Green) and most notably, defending the Holy City against Saladin's
massive army.
If there's one thing Kingdom of Heaven does, it proves Orlando
Bloom is no Russell Crowe, although I don't think even the presence
of 'Our Russ' could have lifted this film beyond lacklustre.
Scott proves he is the master, along with Peter Jackson, when it
comes to directing battle scenes. But when nobody is being chopped
or hacked to death or being laid siege to, Kingdom of Heaven is
one big yawn.
Any film that doesn't live up to its potential is regrettable and
this is no exception, especially when the real life story of the
Muslim leader Saladin is such a fascinating one. Unlike this tale
of Balian, the blacksmith turned knight, which unfortunately fails
to inspire.
Shot on location in Spain and Morocco, Kingdom of Heaven looks
fantastic and stars Jeremy Irons, Marton Csokas, Brendan Gleeson
and an uncredited Edward Norton.
The true tragedy is that not much has changed in the Holy City
nearly one thousand years later, except for the weapons used to
slaughter one another.
Rating: 
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