Kingdom of Heaven
Sam Cohen

Review by Sam Cohen Patron

Kingdom of Heaven 2005

★★★★½

Rewatched Nov 03, 2024

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

This review may contain spoilers.

*Director’s Cut*

Balian of Ibelin: What could a king ask of a man like me?

Godfrey of Ibelin: A better world than has ever been seen. A kingdom of conscience. A kingdom of heaven.

Still as breathtakingly gorgeous, grandiose, action-packed, sophisticated, and heart-breaking the second time around! Studios need to stay out of Ridley Scott’s way. He clearly knows what he’s doing. The film dives deep into the themes of faith, love, death, martyrdom, equality, and morality, and it does so brilliantly. Being from 2005, it still today has incredible and seamless VFX and production/costume design, and I truly feel not many other historical epics do as good of a job at transporting the viewer back to the time in which the film takes place.

Orlando Bloom is great, Eva Green is fantastic, but Edward Norton steals the show from behind a mask. So subtle and impactful. William Monahan wrote this and The Departed in back to back years. Crazy shit. John Mathieson‘s cinematography is striking, and I love how he uses color to distinguish France and Jerusalem. The score by Harry Gregson-Williams is beautiful and transportive. Ridley Scott just has a way of shooting these historical epics in such a way that you can’t help but fall in love with the environments. He never makes a mistake, and every shot, line, and prop has a purpose.

Balian: What is Jerusalem worth?

Saladin: Nothing… everything!

The action in Kingdom of Heaven is at the largest scale you can find, and it truly seems everyone you see on screen is a real extra. The siege of Jerusalem is why I watch movies. The battles are all expertly choreographed and masterfully filmed. Yea they’re chaotic, but I feel Ridley wants them to feel that way. Plus, you can still tell what’s happening and you get great hero moments from Balian. The film also does a fantastic job at showing the horrors of violence, and the rage in a soldier’s eye on the battlefield. Something I realized during the siege of Jerusalem is how it made no sense. Saladin’s army was destroying the city they wanted to capture.

Godfrey: I once fought two days with an arrow through my testicle.

I guess my one gripe with the movie is I wanted more from Guy and Reynald. I know religion is like their motivation, but I could’ve used even more. And I just wanted more Liam Neeson and David Thewlis in general. They were great as always. Same with Jeremy Irons. I just wanted for more from them. I’ve now watched the Director’s Cut twice and the theatrical cut zero times. I’m interested to see if I can now watch the theatrical and still enjoy it.

Director’s Cuts always fascinate me, especially when they come from established filmmakers. By the time Scott made Kingdom of Heaven, he had tons of bangers under his belt, including just winning Best Picture with Gladiator. But for some reason the studio didn’t trust him. With Gladiator II, Scott said he has final cut, but did he not with Napoleon? I liked Napoleon, but we needed a Director’s Cut to get the complete version. I don’t really want that from Gladiator II. Give me the best version in theaters!! I’ve read some really great stuff, but also some mediocre stuff. Idk. I love everyone in the cast and Scott usually doesn’t disappoint me.

Bishop: Who do you think you are? Will you alter the world? Does making a man a knight make him a better fighter?

Balian: Yes.

Kingdom of Heaven, the Director’s Cut, ranks among the top of Scott’s filmography, along the likes of Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator. It’s an epic of the largest proportions, filled with nuanced performances and jaw-dropping battles!

Ridley Scott Ranked
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