Kingdom Of Heaven - Dc - 4 Disc Director's Cut

Adventure, War, Action, History

Orlando Bloom	Balian de Ibelin
Liam Neeson	Godfrey de Ibelin
Jeremy Irons
David Thewlis	Hospitaler
Eva Green
Brendan Gleeson
Marton Csokas	Guy de Lusignan
Martin Hancock	Gravedigger
Michael Sheen	Priest
Nathalie Cox	Balian's Wife
Eriq Ebouaney	Firuz
Jouko Ahola	Odo
Philip Glenister	Squire
Bronson Webb	Apprentice
Kevin McKidd	English Sergeant
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau	Village Sheriff
Steven Robertson	Angelic Priest
Alexander Siddig	Imad

Director	Ridley Scott
Producer	Ridley Scott; Branko Lustig
Writer	William Monahan

It's hard to believe Ridley Scott's handsome epic won't become the cinematic touchstone of the Crusades for years to come. Kingdom of Heaven is greater than the sum of its parts, delivering a vital, mostly engrossing tale following Balian (Orlando Bloom), a lonely French blacksmith who discovers he's a noble heir and takes his father's (Liam Neeson) place in the center of the universe circa 1184: Jerusalem. Here, grand battles and backdoor politics are key as Scott and first-time screenwriter William Monahan fashion an excellent storyline to tackle the centuries-long conflict. Two forward-thinking kings, Baldwin (Edward Norton in an uncredited yet substantial role) and Saladin (Ghassan Massoud), hold an uneasy truce between Christians (who hold the city) and Muslims while factions champ at the bit for blood. There are good and evildoers on both sides, with the Knights Templar taking the brunt of the blame; Balian plans to find his soul while protecting Baldwin and the people. The look of the film, as nearly everything is from Scott, is impressive: his CGI-infused battle scenes rival the LOTR series and, with cinematographer John Mathieson, create postcard beauty with snowy French forests and the vast desert (filmed in Morocco and Spain). An excellent supporting cast, including Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, and David Thewlis, also help make the head and heart of the film work. Many critics pointed out that Bloom doesn't have the gravitas of Russell Crowe in the lead (then again, who does?), but it's the underdeveloped character and not the actor that hurts the film and impacts its power. Balian isn't given much more to do than be sullen and give an occasional big speech, alongside his perplexing abilities for warfare tactics and his wandering moral compass (whose sole purpose seems to be to put a love scene in the movie). Note: all the major characters except Neeson's are based on fact, but many are heavily fictionalized. --Doug Thomas