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A movie forgotten for its theatrical release is revealed to be a well made epic with real character depth in Ridley Scott's director's cut.
In this recurring piece (In My Humble Opinion) I'll be spotlighting movies I find interesting enough to watch that may not be on your radar or what you may expect.
It's well documented that my favorite type of movie contains a large serving of shlock.
Since its release back in 2005 I've tried to watch Kingdom of Heaven at least once a year as I always considered it a flawed but enjoyable film (good schlock). It has a solid cast with impressive and certainly memorable set pieces. There is a cavalry charge at one point in the film that still manages to give me goosebumps many years later.
In true form to the early 2000's the trailer is exactly what you would expect. Disjointed, with one thousand quick cuts, and overlaid with dialogue that is out of place when compared to the actual relevance in the film.
Now, having said that, this movie gets away with any of it's major flaws because it was billed primarily as an action movie, and it does deliver. Ridley Scott was coming off of Gladiator and Black Hawk Down when he turned to this movie. The action is certainly as good as any of his previous works.
Now if you took the time to watch that trailer you may not be surprised at the Rotten Tomatoes score.
At the time this movie came out I was clearly in the 72% of folks who enjoyed it regardless of its shortcomings.
The reason I write about it now is that I recently was at my friends house when looking for something to watch when we scrolled past Kingdom of Heaven on the screen. I suggested we throw it on and I only noticed after we began it was the director's cut.
What I came to realize was there is a vast difference between my beloved shlock fest and this new movie. Characters were given proper time be introduced to us and for our protagonist to develop. The run time of the movie is significantly extended from the theatrical release but every added minute is well worth it.
An additional 45 minutes of crucial scenes were added which the viewer score above would suggest is a valued addition. Again, this film was released back in 2005 when there was no streaming and I'm sure studios exerted a significant amount of pressure on filmmakers to get movies under two and a half hours max. Clearly the movie suffered as a result and it lacked any cultural staying power at the time. The director's cut is almost jarringly different (and welcome) in the ways it enhances what preceded it.
The movie follows Orlando Bloom's character, Balian, on a journey that begins with the death of his wife and an act of murder he is driven to in rage as a result. He seeks redemption and purpose by traveling to the holy land where the father he has only just met, Godfrey de Ibelin (Liam Neeson), holds a lordship over the town of Ibelin near Jerusalem.
On the way to book passage to the holy land Balian, his father, and his men are set upon by those attempting to bring Balian to justice for murder. It's the first action sequence of the film and draws you in quite quickly. Brutal and compelling, the fight leaves Godfrey mortally wounded. He shortly after performs a ceremony and formally names Balian his son and heir to his titles.
Yes, that is Jaime Lannister you saw. I'm guessing he ended up getting his Game of Thrones role due to his solid turn here with minimal screen time.
Once Balian continues to Jerusalem he finds the political climate tenuous. The Muslim population in the region has grown more and more tried of Christian rule in Jerusalem thanks to the brutal actions of a handful of men who seek to start another war for their own glory. Unfortunately for them, they succeed and Saladin gathers his army and marches on Jerusalem.
I didn't go into too much detail and won't. If you haven't seen the movie and like action with characters you actually care about, you're in for a treat.
Of note is that Orlando Bloom's character is based upon the real Balian of Ibelin. By all accounts he was quite the guy, and I think the portrayal in the film is faithful to his legacy.
Ridley Scott's director's cut is a definitive, great movie. It still has the charm I first fell in love with but additionally has been firmly rounded out into a period piece epic. The cast of characters around Orlando Bloom is fantastic and in the new version the talent you know they have from other projects clearly shines through.
I thoroughly love this film and I imagine with the director's cut many others will as well. With Orlando Bloom's character fully developed and the connections of those around him solidified, it's a tale always worthy of another viewing.
As-salamu alaykum.
