Kingdom of Heaven

Theatrical Release Date: 2005 05 06 (USA)

UPC: 024543685135

Studio: 20th Century Fox

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Graphic Violence, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language]

Summary: Ridley Scott directed this epic-scale historical drama inspired by the events of the Crusades of the 12th century. Balian (Orlando Bloom) is a humble French blacksmith who is searching for a reason to go on after the death of his wife and children. Balian is approached by Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson), a fabled knight who has briefly returned home after serving in the East. Godfrey informs Balian that he is his true father, and urges the blacksmith to join him as he and his forces journey to Jerusalem to help defend the holy city. Balian accepts, and he and Godfrey arrive during the lull between the Second and Third Crusades, in which the city is enjoying a fragile peace. Both Christian and Muslim forces are temporarily in retreat, thanks to the wisdom of the Christian monarch King Baldwin IV (Edward Norton), his second-in-command Tiberias (Jeremy Irons), and Muslim potentate Saladin (Ghassan Massoud). Violent agitators on both sides are foolishly eager to end the peace in a bid for greater power, and Saladin bows to pressures from Muslim factions; Godfrey is one of a handful of brave knights who has thrown his allegiance behind Baldwin IV and his community of diversity, and Balian joins him as they use their skills as warriors in a bid to build a lasting peace. Kingdom of Heaven also stars Eva Green as the princess Sibylla, David Thewlis as Hospitaler the priest, and Brendan Gleeson as Reynald. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Historical Film

Features: cc

Kingdom of Heaven

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 03/22/2010

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cinemascope

Audio: DHMA null, 2 PCM stereo

Runtime: 194 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Donald Guarisco

It's a shame this film had to come after Troy and Alexander because, despite a few flaws, it is far superior to those stabs at modernizing the costume epic. Kingdom of Heaven succeeds where those films fail because it manages to hit the right blend of grandeur and subtlety. As one would expect from a Ridley Scott film, the grandeur comes through in a wealth of period detail, many stunning vistas filmed on location, and a meticulously staged battle scene in the finale. However, what makes Kingdom of Heaven rewarding is its "subtlety" component: William Monahan's script takes great pains to create a multifaceted tale that depicts both sides of the war in an evenhanded fashion and also reminds the viewer of how religion once dominated the lives of most people. It also benefits from subtle performances that counteract the trend of broad overplaying that mars many similar epics: Orlando Bloom believably underplays his role (a big contrast to his matinee-idol prancing in Troy), Eva Green makes a suitably alluring and likeably resilient romantic interest, and Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons, and David Thewlis flesh out their smaller roles with a knowing, believably world-weary cynicism. On the downside, the pressure of getting across the storyline in just two and a half hours means the story suffers a few sudden leaps and awkward transitions in its first half (specifically in how Bloom ends up in Jerusalem). However, these kinks get ironed out by the midpoint and the high quality of the film's other aspects helps make up for these flaws. In short, Kingdom of Heaven has its problems but is easily the best of the recent "sword-and-sandal epic" cycle. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Steven Robertson  Actor 
Shane Attwooll  Actor 
Matthew Rutherford  Actor 
Angus Wright  Actor 
Peter Cant  Actor 
Nasser Memarzia  Actor 
Lofti Yahya Jedidi  Actor 
Giannina Facio  Actor 
Jouko Ahola  Actor 
Bronson Webb  Actor 
Philip Glenister  Actor 
Karim Saleh  Actor 
Michael Shaeffer  Actor 
Michael Fitzgerald  Actor 
Eriq Ebouaney  Actor 
Martin Hancock  Actor 
Samira Draa  Actor 
Nathalie Cox  Actor 
Emilio Doorgasingh  Actor 
Ridley Scott  Director 
Ridley Scott  Producer 
Terry Needham  Executive Producer 
Branko Lustig  Executive Producer 
Harry Gregson-Williams  Composer (Music Score) 
Lisa Ellzey  Executive Producer 
William Monahan  Screenwriter 
Michael Elson  Executive Producer 
Charlie Bradbury  Producer 
Orlando Bloom  Actor 
Eva Green  Actor 
Jeremy Irons  Actor 
David Thewlis  Actor 
Brendan Gleeson  Actor 
Marton Csokas  Actor 
Michael Sheen  Actor 
Liam Neeson  Actor 
Edward Norton  Actor 
Ghassan Massoud  Actor 
Alexander Siddig  Actor 
Khaled Nabawy  Actor 
Kevin McKidd  Actor 
Velibor Topic  Actor 
Jon Finch  Actor 
Ulrich Thomsen  Actor 
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau  Actor 
Iain Glen  Actor 

Country: UK,USA