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| Synopsis: |
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It’s
the late 12th century and Christians
and Muslims are battling for occupation
of Jerusalem in the Crusades. Although
the Christian armies currently hold
the city in an uneasy peace, with both
Muslims and Christians allowed to worship
within the city walls, things are beginning
to look decidedly shaky: The benevolent
King Baldwin (Edward Norton), is dying
without an heir, while his sister, Sybilla
(Eva Green), has gone and married Guy
de Lusignan (Marton Csokas) a leader
of the malicious Knights Templar, who
want war with the Muslim Saracens at
all costs.
In the midst of all this, Sir Godfrey
(Liam Neeson), a knight loyal to the
King, heads to France to seek out his
long lost son Balian (Orlando Bloom)
to join him in defending Jerusalem.
However, Balian soon finds himself on
his own personal crusade – how
can he stand by his own is beliefs in
a world so obsessed with power? |
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Before seeing Kingdom
of Heaven, I didn’t know loads about
the history of the crusades; just enough to
think that post September 11th, a film focusing
on the wars between Muslims and Christians
would be a tricky sell. After seeing Kingdom
of Heaven I still don’t know loads about
the crusades, but I do know that to sell a
movie about them, you focus on the battles
(shoot them beautifully, with loads of SFX
and chuck in some ultra-violence) include
a romance between the pin-up of the moment
and the bad guys wife and big up the ‘can’t
we just all get along?’ message.
Maybe I’m being a bit harsh, as I quite
enjoyed the movie. This month, as ALOVE focuses
on acceptance, Kingdom of Heaven has something
to say about making a stand for what we believe
in and finding our way in a world that is
complex and often overwhelming. In a character-defining
moment, Balian chooses between saving the
lives of the people in Jerusalem and keeping
his honour, and his decision left me asking
whether I would have done the same.
If the film comes across as just an apologetic
for tolerance, it can be forgiven. A fantastic
cast carry it off nicely, and while a lot
had been made of it being the film that will
see Orlando Bloom graduate from supporting
actor to leading man, it turns out that was
largely a smokescreen. The supporting actors
are of such high calibre that you hardly notice
that Bloom is playing the same character he
did in Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the
Caribbean. He does an ok job, but when sharing
the screen with well-established actors like
Jeremy Irons (playing Tiberias) and Liam Neeson,
you can see that he still needs a few more
films under his belt.
There are some nice moments: A conversation
between Balian and Saladin (Ghassan Massoud),
the leader of the Saracens, shows us the tragedy
of the Crusades and many battles since: What
is Jerusalem really worth? Everything and
nothing. The battles are spectacular and,
while a rousing speech by Balian just fails
to hit the mark, a mass knighting (destined
to be played as a sermon illustration near
you soon) restored my excitement towards the
end.
So go and see Kingdom of Heaven, but not if
you want to learn about the history of the
crusades. See it because it’s a big,
bombastic movie and it might just make you
think.
: Phil Hoyle |
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