November 14, 2005
Kingdom of Heaven promises much and delivers a lot. It is ravishing to look at, one of the most handsome epics in years. Directed by Gladiator helmer Ridley Scott, it has the gritty, well-paced action scenes you would expect. It steps nimbly round the potentially explosive material - Muslim v Christian warfare - by pinning the baddie status on fanatics of all kinds. An intelligent move. And while it may not be historically accurate, it is not a million miles away. And there are some telling performances - David Thewlis as a sensible crusader priest, Jeremy Irons as the soldier trying to prevent war.
The main flaw, the one that stops this being a vibrant, Gladiator-worthy movie, is Orlando Bloom. A plank of a performance, no reaction, no emotion. You would would not follow this crusader-blacksmith to Blackpool. This is an A-list movie with a B-list script and central performance. Happily, while it isn't heaven, it certainly isn't hell and there are many good reasons to give this beautifully-shot film a watch.
The main flaw, the one that stops this being a vibrant, Gladiator-worthy movie, is Orlando Bloom. A plank of a performance, no reaction, no emotion. You would would not follow this crusader-blacksmith to Blackpool. This is an A-list movie with a B-list script and central performance. Happily, while it isn't heaven, it certainly isn't hell and there are many good reasons to give this beautifully-shot film a watch.