Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut)


2.5/4

Starring: Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Jeremy Irons, Liam Neeson, Marton Csokas

The version being reviewed is the Unrated Director's Cut.  For the record, the theatrical cut is rated R for Strong Violence and Epic Warfare

As much as I would like to say good things about Ridley Scott’s true vision of this Crusades story, I can’t.  The problem lies not with Orlando Bloom (as one might assume), but with the seriously confused script by “The Departed” scribe William Monahan and the bungled handling of some of the intrigue that goes on.

Balian (Bloom) is a blacksmith (not named William Turner) whose wife has recently committed suicide.  Being of Catholic faith, this condemns her to an eternity in hell, so he reluctantly agrees to go with the father he never knew he had (Neeson) to save the soul of his wife and his own.  But when he gets to Jerusalem, he finds that the city is not so much threatened by the Saracens (Muslims), but by the rift between the Templar Knights, who are acting on the word of the Pope and want to destroy the Muslims, and King Baldwin (an uncredited Edward Norton) and his supporters, who want to keep the peace and allow people of all faiths to enjoy the Holy City.

Orlando Bloom is like Michael Cera; he can only play one type of role, but when it fits, it works.  Eva Green is also good as Sybilla, Baldwin’s sister and later Balian’s lover.  Liam Neeson, David Thewlis and Jeremy Irons provide able support.  But it is Edward Norton who steals the show.  As the leper king, Norton is both wise and fatalistic, and he tears at the heartstrings as well.  It’s an especially amazing accomplishment since the mask he wears is really quite creepy.

The main problem with the film is its protagonist.  Until the end of the film, Balian really doesn’t do anything.  It seems he’s only in the film for the sole purpose of watching him go from being a guilt-ridden blacksmith to the de facto general of Jerusalem, something that happens entirely by coincidences.  It’s not credible and it lacks the rooting interest that the film needs to involve the viewer.

The intrigue that happens behind the scenes is both poorly written and ineptly handled.  It’s not always clear who is related to who and what a certain character wants.  There are also a few too many “words of wisdom” thrown out there.

There are a few good things about this film.  The cinematography is gorgeous and the setting is effectively realized.  And although the bulk of the film is confused and uninvolving, the final battle scene is superbly done.

I saw the Director’s Cut, but not the theatrical version.  I’ve heard that this one fleshes out a major subplot that was left out by nervous studio executives who wanted to keep the running time low.  As much as I respect seeing a director’s true vision, it still doesn’t help this film.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Left Foot

 2/4 Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Brenda Fricker, Ray McAnally, Fiona Shaw, Alison Whelan Rated R (probably for Language and Brief Violence) "My Left Foot" feels like one of those movies designed to win Oscars and nothing else.  In fact, it did win two Oscars for the immortal Daniel Day-Lewis and Brenda Fricker, but apart from their strong work, there's not much else to remember about this movie.  It's well-acted, but all in all it's pretty dull. Christy Brown (Day-Lewis) is getting recognized for his work in order to raise money for the disabled.  Despite being a talented artist and writer, Christy is not the ideal candidate for the job.  He's an alcoholic jerk who makes no secret of his lust for women nor is he above using his disability to manipulate people into doing what he wants.  Interspersed with his attempts to seduce a woman tasked with looking after him while he awaits his entrance are vignettes from his childhood.  Most notably how his mothe...
Read more

Desert Flower

2/4 Starring: Liya Kebede, Sally Hawkins, Timothy Spall, Juliet Stevenson Rated R for Some Violent Content, A Scene of Sexuality and Language The problem with "Desert Flower" is not that Waris Dirie's story isn't suited for the cinematic treatment or that the actress playing her isn't acceptable.  The problem is that director Sherry Hormann doesn't do a good job of telling it.  This is a poorly focused film that can't decide what it wants to be about or what it wants to say. As is the case with many a true story, the life of Waris Dirie is too amazing to be made up by a Hollywood screenwriter.  This woman fled an arranged marriage as a child, spent years as a servant to a Somali diplomat in England, survived on the streets, and was discovered by a fashion photographer while working as a janitor.  Then she became a supermodel and UN Ambassador in the fight against female genital mutilation. Waris experienced a lot in her life.  Telling it all in a...
Read more

The Road

3.5/4 Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron Rated R for Some Violence, Disturbing Images and Language "The Road" has to be the most downbeat, depressing and cynical movie I've ever seen.  That's not meant as a criticism, but a fact.  This is a tough movie to get through, but not a chore.  Those who venture in will find their time well spent, albeit not in a necessarily pleasant way.  Then again, if a movie is based off a novel by Cormac McCarthy, "pleasant" isn't a word one would hope to be used to describe it. The film takes place after the world has ended.  How it happened is not explained because it doesn't matter.  But any hope of the Earth recovering from what happened has long since gone.  A man (Mortensen) and his son (Smit-McPhee) are travelling together, trying to "get to the coast."  There are few people left, although considering what many are doing with the goal of survival, that's a good thing...
Read more