Kingdom Of Heaven: Review By Josh

May 28th, 2011 by Josh
The added 40 minutes [in the Director's Cut] ... give the film its much-needed emotional core.
  • OVERALL
    3.5
    GREAT
  • Story
  • Acting
  • Directing
  • Visuals
If you're going to watch Kingdom of Heaven, watch Ridley Scott's director's cut, which presents the film as he envisioned it rather than as the studio forced him to release it. The added 40 minutes provide necessary character and plot development that give the film its much-needed emotional core.

As a historical film it's quite relevant, flying in the face of the contemporary West's popular perception of Islam and decrying its invalid justifications for war.

The film is at its best once Edward Norton enters the picture and trails off after he exits; his portrayal of King Baldwin IV is incredibly potent. And while Orlando Bloom doesn't command the respect that other leading men do, he is bolstered by great talents like Eva Green, Liam Neeson, and Jeremy Irons.

If nothing else, Harry Gregson Williams' score is beautiful, and Scott's direction & John Mathieson's cinematography are the film's most stunning achievements.

Theatrical Cut: 2.5/5

Director's Cut: 3.5/5

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Comments (6)

  1. Josh

    @dan1 Oh man, Brendan Gleeson was such a dick in this movie! I forgot about that!

    1 year agoby @shuabertFlag

  2. Dan

    @shuabert Definitely. In this movie, both sides had their inspirational figures (Neeson, Bloom, Norton, the actor who played Saladin), and it's desp*cables (Marton Csokas (underrated actor, my opinion), Brendan Gleeson, and a few others among the Muslim crowd), so by the end of the film, you cannot definitively say either side is wrong. Which is how it should be played out.

    1 year agoby @dan1Flag

  3. Josh

    @dan1 Agreed. It's that complexity that I've loved about Scott's best films, such as Blade Runner. There's always more going on than meets the eye.

    1 year agoby @shuabertFlag

  4. Dan

    And yes, even though Ed Norton is behind that mask, he says a lot of prophetic things. But then, he's almost always great, that's why we love the guy.

    It was brave and different of Ridley Scott to portray Islam the way he did. The moment that sold me was when Saladin picked up the fallen cross and put it back upright. I would hope a true Muslim would have that kind of respect in that scenario.

    1 year agoby @dan1Flag

  5. Josh

    @dan1 Yeah, I was hesitant about even taking the time to watch the director's cut (which tops three hours) because I was so underwhelmed by the theatrical version, but the consensus across the board was that it was a lot better. Everyone was right. I recommend it, especially if you liked the theatrical version. You'll probably love it.

    1 year agoby @shuabertFlag

  6. Dan

    @shuabert I thought this movie was underrated. I need to watch the director's cut. If I liked the theatrical cut, I'm sure I'd love the director cut.

    1 year agoby @dan1Flag