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 | Kingdom Of Heaven Director: Ridley Scott Rated: M Now showing  Amongst the big-budget historical epics that have blazed across the big-screen recently, undoubtedly the most successful was Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator'. With 'Kingdom Of Heaven', Scott has delivered another extravaganza of big sets and bigger battles, this time set during the Crusades. Comparisons to his earlier epic are inevitable, with many of you doubtless wondering if Orlando Bloom does a better job than our Russel (plans to officially adopt him from New Zealand are under way).Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson) travels to a small village to find his illegitimate son Balian (Bloom), to ask forgiveness and offer him a chance to make his fortune in Jerusalem as a Crusader. Balian initially refuses, but joins his father in order to work off the sin of his wife, a suicide. It's not long before Balian is in the thick of it, leading men into battle, talking with the leprous King Baldwin (Edward Norton) and having an illicit affair with the king's sister, Sibylla (Eva Green). The film looks awful, but in a beautiful way; which is to say, everything in the film looks genuine, right down to the grime and blood. As the bleak blue tones of Europe give way to the Holy Land's golden hues, the mud gives way to dust. The costumes are the best I've seen in a film of this genre, but you wouldn't want to wear them three days running. The battle scenes are incredibly realistic, meaning they're noisy, confusing and very messy. The scenes where Jerusalem is besieged are even better than the similar battles from 'The Two Towers' and 'Return Of The King'; while the 'Lord Of The Rings' movies carried the inescapable mark of CGI, Scott's battles are so real you'll find yourself checking your testicles for arrow wounds (you'll understand). Neither the Islamic Saracens nor the Christian Crusaders come out as entirely good or bad. Indeed, the morality of the campaign is constantly in question, with various characters declaring their views on the subject, leaving Balian (and the audience) to decide what's right. Good actors are needed to get across such heavy themes effectively, and there's no shortage here. Neeson makes a much better knight than in 'The Phantom Menace', with Jeremy Irons in perfect support as the blustery Tiberias. Bloom makes a very human and complex Balian. It's sad that Norton's performance is muted by his character's blank silver mask, and Marton Csokas is a bit over-the-top as the bastardly Guy de Lusignan. The best performance is Ghassan Massoud's as Saladin, who skilfully portrays a man by turns noble and brutal. Forget 'Gladiator'; 'Kingdom Of Heaven' pours boiling oil all over its predecessor. Some scholars scoff at the historical accuracy, but then Scott could have armed his Crusaders with machine-guns and it still would have been more likely than the ending to 'Gladiator'. It probably won't do as well at the box office, unless you all take my advice and head to the cinema for the next screening.  | |
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