KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

With Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Jeremy Irons, David Thewlis, Brendan Gleeson, Liam Neeson
Directed by Ridley Scott

Since Lord Of The Rings it seems hard to get a sword out of Orlando Bloom's hand. In this religiously driven historically based Crusade tale he plays the role of Balian, a Frenchman whose life is torn to shreds in two ways. His wife is refused a Christian burial because she committed suicide, and his long lost father, a high ranking Crusader arrives to invite him along on his journey to the Middle East. At first he refuses, but when he kills a man out of rage, he goes on the run and joins up with his father, the law on their tail. They head for Jerusalem, where headstrong and logical leaders uphold the peace between Muslim and Christian. But men with a lust for power are adamant to break this peace and lay waste with a bloody war. All of the emotional levels get utilized while neither one of the religious factions get demonized as such, rather individuals without conscience, filled with greed, giving this epic some opportunity for mass carnage. Balian gets to learn who he is and realizes the essence of man from both its good and evil sides as he has to muster his courage and decides what is the right thing to do. This part of the world has always been a contentious religious piece of land, and the question remains whether it will ever see peace.

4 / B
- PB

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