by Dave Franklin

Created on: December 29, 2006   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

"If this is the kingdom of heaven, let God do with it as he wishes" so spoke Balian of Ibelin during his defence of the city of Jerusalem, unfortunately it is Ridley Scott and not god who calls the shots here. Ridley Scott does have an impressive back catalogue under his belt, Blade Runner remains high on my list of favourites but with Black Hawk Down, Thelma and Louise, Alien and the obvious point of reference Gladiator all on his C.V. you know that we are dealing with one of the greats here.

Kingdom of Heaven is centred on real historical events, places and people and as such should try to uphold the responsibility of portraying actual events. Balian of Ibelin played by Orlando Bloom was the hero of the doomed defence of Jerusalem in 1187, then controlled by the Christian knights, as the truce with Saladin collapsed beginning a series of events that ultimately lead to the third crusade and the name that most people have heard of Richard the Lionheart. But whereas the real Balian was a knight of some standing, Scott's character is a run away blacksmith who rises through the ranks in unrealistic socially flexible world. Once in the exotic lands of Outremer he joins in the war to recover the holy land and we are treated to over two hours of action and beautiful backdrops, a rich visual tapestry of eastern promise and contrasting stark desert landscapes. But for those expecting a re-set Gladiator you may be in for a shock. Although like his roman epic the film looks historically accurate, the whole ideology and mindset of the film fails to deliver.

Part of the problem is the casting of Orlando Bloom as the main character. Whereas Russell Crowe was believable as the rough, testosterone driven general turned gladiator, Bloom comes across as a clichd Lancelot with his model agency good looks and saintly ways. The main problem, however, is the script, despite a lot of talk about God and religion there is no real attempt to recreate am authentic medieval worldview. The characters deliver lines that may seem worthy and spiritually progressive from a twenty first century point of view but really show a lack of understanding of the period. The focal point of the film seems to be an interest in the psychology of chivalry rather than the historical portrayal of knighthood. The characters also seem to be very thin in their portrayal; one-dimensional cardboard cut outs plying a trade of clichs.

The main political battle of the film is between the various factions in the Christian

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