Product Description

From Ridley Scott, the visionary director of Black Hawk Down and Gladiator, comes this spectacular epic of courage, honor and adventure. Orlando Bloom stars as Balian, a young Frenchman in Medieval Jerusalem during the Crusades, who, having lost everything, finds redemption in a heroic fight against overwhelming forces to save his people and fulfill his destiny as a knight.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5063 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-10-11
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC
• Original language: Arabic, English, German
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Dubbed in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 144 minutes

Amazon.com
It's hard to believe Ridley Scott's handsome epic won't become the cinematic touchstone of the Crusades for years to come. Kingdom of Heaven is greater than the sum of its parts, delivering a vital, mostly engrossing tale following Balian (Orlando Bloom), a lonely French blacksmith who discovers he's a noble heir and takes his father's (Liam Neeson) place in the center of the universe circa 1184: Jerusalem. Here, grand battles and backdoor politics are key as Scott and first-time screenwriter William Monahan fashion an excellent storyline to tackle the centuries-long conflict. Two forward-thinking kings, Baldwin (Edward Norton in an uncredited yet substantial role) and Saladin (Ghassan Massoud), hold an uneasy truce between Christians (who hold the city) and Muslims while factions champ at the bit for blood. There are good and evildoers on both sides, with the Knights Templar taking the brunt of the blame; Balian plans to find his soul while protecting Baldwin and the people. The look of the film, as nearly everything is from Scott, is impressive: his CGI-infused battle scenes rival the LOTR series and, with cinematographer John Mathieson, create postcard beauty with snowy French forests and the vast desert (filmed in Morocco and Spain). An excellent supporting cast, including Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, and David Thewlis, also help make the head and heart of the film work. Many critics pointed out that Bloom doesn't have the gravitas of Russell Crowe in the lead (then again, who does?), but it's the underdeveloped character and not the actor that hurts the film and impacts its power. Balian isn't given much more to do than be sullen and give an occasional big speech, alongside his perplexing abilities for warfare tactics and his wandering moral compass (whose sole purpose seems to be to put a love scene in the movie). Note: all the major characters except Neeson's are based on fact, but many are heavily fictionalized. --Doug Thomas

From The New Yorker
At the butt end of the twelfth century, a blacksmith (Orlando Bloom) follows his noble father (Liam Neeson) to Jerusalem, in search of salvation, wealth, and adventure, though not necessarily in that order. He is shipwrecked en route, emerging from the wreck with the bleary air of a groom awaking from a successful stag party. This is one of many underpowered moments in the film, which, despite being directed by Ridley Scott, contrives to make a great and often magnificent fuss about the doings of a feeble hero; in this respect it is the very opposite of Scott's "Gladiator," which worked hard to earn its bombast. Much is made of the power play between the King of Jerusalem (a leper in a metal mask), his exotic and plainly loopy sister (Eva Green), his military adviser (Jeremy Irons), and a brace of leering villains (Marton Csokas and Brendan Gleeson). Opposing them is the mighty Saladin (Ghassan Massoud) and, more injurious still, the filmmakers' anxiety about causing offense to the faithful of any creed. The outcome is a movie so desperate to provoke comparisons with the religious enmities of today that it somehow forgets the fire in its own belly. With Edward Norton. -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker