Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven Divine

“What is Jerusalem worth?”

“Nothing… Everything.”

So goes a conversation in Ridley Scott’s latest historical opus Kingdom of Heaven. It is a telling moment, the blood of so many spilt over a city neither side is sure is worth all the trouble, yet still more than willing to spill countless more ounces if it means holding it for theirs – if only for a day. This is a painful, mournful epic with more on its mind than sending audience members home talking about the astonishing battle sequences. It is a deeply personal, highly introspective work of artistic expression the likes of which the director hasn’t attempted since Blade Runner, this easily his best, and probably least accessible, film since that ground-breaking science fiction classic.

The Lord of the Rings star Orlando Bloom takes center stage here as Balian, a young French blacksmith who has lost all that is most dear to him, all including the faith in God he holds so dear. Into his life comes Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson), a great night returning to the country from the Crusades in search of the son he never should have fathered. He offers to take Balian back to Jerusalem, to assist him in upholding the truce between its Christian king, Baldwin IV, and a legendary Muslim leader, Saladin (Ghassan Massoud), whom together have managed to bring about six years of peace within the holy city.

That peace, however, hangs by an ever-eroding thread. After the death of his father, but not before being knighted by his very hand, Balian makes the arduous trip to the fabled religious enclave only to discover divisive factions on either side of the king working overtime to bring an end to the truce. With over 200,000 Saracen warriors at his disposal, Saladin could erase the Christians in one fell swoop, but many in Baldwin’s house simply do not care, most notably the duplicitous Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas), a Templar Knight married to the king’s sister Sibylla (Eva Green).

As far as Guy is concerned, the current king is an inept leader and an even worse Christian, obviously being punished by God with leprosy for his mismanagement in not wiping out the Muslim menace. He wants to fight; not only for the Almighty but also for the power, wealth and personal gains his achievements in battle will certainly grant him. In this pursuit he enlists the help of extremist Reynald de Chatillon (Brendan Gleeson), a fellow Templar who revels in mayhem and madness wanting nothing more than to see every Muslim and Jew half buried in the earth with their head stuck firmly to a pike. From his massive fortress at Kerak he plots to bring about the greatest holy war of the Crusades, firm in his belief he is following a righteous path built firmly upon God’s Will.

When all is said and done, Baldwin does not live to see his and Saladin’s truce survive into history, instead war once again grips the Middle East as the Muslim commander is forced to assemble his army and lead it straight to the gates of Jerusalem. Only Balian, assisted by a courageous band of knights loyal to the king and the city’s frightened populace, stand in his way. Knowing this is not a victory he can win through strength of arms the former blacksmith concludes the time has come to decide what is most important in life. Is it really God’s will that Christians hold the keys to the city? Or, as Balian chooses to believe, would he rather see the multifarious citizens of Jerusalem come together as one to fight for their own survival, achieving dignity and honor in preserving what’s best for them all: Life.

I do not expect Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven to be as popular or successful as was his somewhat similar medieval epic Gladiator. It lacks the grandstanding and larger-than-life theatrics of Russell Crowe, and the battle scenes do not have the whiz-bang brute force that Oscar-winning action flick did. Also, it is not a very rousing adventure, and much like Terrence Mallick’s eerily similar modern World War II classic The Thin Red Line it has far more on its mind than engaging its audience’s reactions on a purely visceral level. It is a decidedly internal picture, dour and downbeat and at times deeply melancholy as to the prospects of ever achieving real peace in an increasingly religious intolerant and emotionally fractured Middle East.

But greatness at the box office does not equal greatness on a cinematic level, for if it did than duds like The Golden Child, Porky's, Problem Child and Van Helsing would be considered classics. (For that matter, I seriously doubt anyone is going to be touting the pleasures and award-worthiness of either The Pacifier or Are We There Yet, two misguided comedies both insipid and uninspired yet hugely popular hits nonetheless.) No, sometimes grappling with complex themes and attempting to shed light on age-old conflicts delicately and with understanding and sensitivity is a better mark of superiority, and in this case Scott and screenwriter William Monahan get very close to achieving perfection.

Only close, however, because for all of the melodrama’s strengths not all of it comes off smelling like incense and roses. A romance between Balian and Sibylla never comes together, their lust-filled glances and smoldering asides never fully explored or developed. Guy and Reynald are also far two one-dimensional, hissable villains devoid of the complex shadings that make the rest of the characters inhabiting the film so remarkably memorable. Also, Scott shoots the picture in the same never-ending series of monochromatic blues and golden yellows that filled Gladiator, an early battle scene in the snowy woods of France unavoidably referencing that brawny and brutal drama.

But those are minor complaints when confronted with the genius of the rest of the picture. It’s absolutely unreal how delicately both Scott and Monahan balance the complex religious quagmire at the center of things, casting Muslim and Christian alike in ever-multiplying shades of gray. No one on either side is perfect and their plans, no matter how well thought out or even-handed, cannot help but fail to reach their lofty expectations. This is a movie where failure in battle might lead to an even greater victory, and story where fealty to God and absolute assurance in his will that one is right in their actions is felt by both leader and follower on both sides of the equation.

All of the actors shine. No matter how much the script tends to let them down, both Gleeson and Csokas are deliciously evil, meeting their just deserts in justly divergent fashions, and while I didn’t quite by the love affair between her and Bloom, ingenue Green is still an ethereally beauteous creature. She wanders through the picture like an angel lost at the gates of Hades, her once proud and fearless demeanor broken and disheveled by a series of decisions that just might lead to the fall of Jerusalem. Both Jeremy Irons, as King Baldwin’s chief military enforcer and confidant Tiberias, and Neeson acquit themselves with aplomb, while noted character actor Alexander Siddig shines as a Muslim leader Balian inadvertently shows knightly kindness to.

It is the trio at the center of things, Bloom, Massoud and certain Primal Fear actor playing Baldwin, that really make the most indelible impression. Massoud, himself a noted Syrian filmmaker, actor and playwright, is masterful as the evenhanded and deeply passionate Saladin. He recognizes the utter futility of extending the Crusades, yet, he also understands why his people can never submit to ruler ship (and potential annihilation) at the hands of foreign invaders.  It is a magnificently layered and nuanced performance, Massoud delicately balancing the factions within both his army and his heart as he tries to figure out the best course of action for his people. The actor playing Baldwin (the producers would like us to keep his identity a surprise) nearly matches him, managing to give a complex and heartfelt performance despite spending the entire movie disintegrating behind a silver-plated mask. It’s the best this actor has given in ages, easily erasing memories of his going-through-the-motions portrayals in recent hits like The Italian Job and Red Dragon.

Bloom, an interesting actor who’s been just fine in supporting roles (The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) but rather wan when required to lead (Ned Kelly), comes into his own here. He is the emotional center of Kingdom of Heaven, his journey to find forgiveness and redemption the one Scott and Monahan look to hold the enormous enterprise together. Personally, after how lackluster and bland he was in Troy I wouldn’t have thought he had it in him. Now, after this, I can’t wait to see his next triumph. Balian is a wounded man of righteous indignation stuck between hating and loving a God he simply does not understand. He’s searching for a promised land of divine hope and enlightenment, discovering instead that this so-called kingdom of heaven might lie somewhere inside his own heart and not within the walls of Jerusalem. Bloom drives the picture, holds it together in his blood-soaked grip, coming of age as an actor in a medieval world not so very different than our own.

I am not a student of this era in history. I do not know how accurate Scott and his team of craftsman really are. What I do know is that Kingdom of Heaven is a sublime, conscious-raising masterpiece willing to risk asking tough questions about the nature of faith and courageous enough to leave the answers to these questions up to the individual viewer. It is not a didactic montage of right and wrong, but instead a steady stream-of-consciousness exercise in finding that which is most holy deep within one’s self.

Film Rating: êêê1/2  (out of 4)