Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut) [Blu-ray]

Kingdom of heaven comes from Ridley Scott, the director of Gladiator and Blackhawk Down. The movie is a historic epic of the highest caliber filled with a fantastic score, breath-taking visuals, great acting, and a beautiful and very relevant story-line.The film covers the fall of the Latin crusader kingdom of Jerusalem to the Saracens. The capture of Jerusalem by the legendary Muslim general Salah ad-Din; better known to the west as "Saladin". The backdrop of this tumultuous time in history serves well to produce a dramatic and passionate look at events that still affect us to this day. We are treated to fabulous recreations of the holy city as well as some of the biggest scenes (battles and otherwise) I've ever seen in a movie.At its heart though, Kingdom of Heaven is a small personal story within the context of huge events. It is a very human tale, as Balian(Orlando Bloom), a young blacksmith who recently lost his wife struggles to find meaning, redemption, and a new beginning. His faith shattered, he decides to go to the holy land with his newfound father who shows up unexpectedly. In Jerusalem this one-time blacksmith finds the "kingdom of heaven" to be within himself in his own deeds and choices and plays a crucial role in events so much larger than himself.Balian serves the King of Jerusalem, a wise and tolerant man who knows that peace with Saladin is not only practical (as they are outnumbered) but also his moral duty. The king struggles to control fanatics like the Knights Templar lead by Guy De Leon, a man hungry for glory, power, and riches; as well as renegades like the mad Raynold, who is bloodthirsty and genocidal. The movie depicts the sad truth of historical fact, such as catholic priests preaching that "to kill an infidel (Muslim) is not murder, it is the path to heaven".Saladin, a wise and enlightened ruler has united the Arabs into a single force through his political and military prowess. Saladin himself is a quite tolerant man, and both him and the King of Jerusalem maintain an uneasy peace while religious zealots on both side cry out for blood. With the King's death, crusader renegades succeed in provoking war by attacking a Muslim caravan and killing Saladin's own sister (historically factual). Saladin marches his vast army against the outnumbered and surrounded Christians, who arrogantly and blindly march out to meet him and are annihilated. Balian now is left to defend Jerusalem against an army bent on revenge not just for this recent insult but for the slaughter of Jerusalem's Muslims by the army of the first crusade. Balian's only hope is to defend the city so fervently that magnanimous Saladin might be forced to terms, whereby he can negotiate for clemency.I think they struck the balance between history and Hollywood perfect. The story is by and large, historically accurate. While some characters such as Balian, were fictionalized in trivial ways to fit with the storyline, the larger events as well as the atmosphere itself is wonderfully portrayed. The movie over-all tells a much greater truth, exploring the role of religion and symbolism in human conflict, the constant struggle between tolerance and intolerance, and how each of us can make a difference within all of it in our own choices and attitudes.The special effects are top notch and the cinematography is absolutely excellent. Kingdom of heaven has some of the finest camera work of any movie, and adds to the terrific script and intelligent dialogue. Every dimension of this movie, from the source material, to the script, to the wardrobe and sets, to the special effects and score, to the acting is draped in excellence befitting such a complex tale. Some might not "get" this movie because there are no real "good guys". No one side is in the right, rather the forces of tolerance are at odds with fanaticism, and when the fanatics win out, it is up to good men of honor to try and protect the innocent bystanders in the wake of a war in which each side felt it was doing the will of God. But within that larger story is the story of one simple man, who on a pilgrimage to absolve his sins finds answers to questions about life and managed to do great things and find for himself a new beginning through helping the defenseless and seeing the world through clearer eyes. And at the end, even though the cycle of violence and tragedy to be only just beginning (and still is today), he is able to start his life anew, and presumably is able to live his life in peace with the knowledge that the kingdom of heaven is within us all. To any that love huge, passionate, explorative films that respect the complexities of the real world instead of giving in to the Hollywood urge to tell only one side of a story, give this movie a look! And to anyone looking for a wonderfully-crafted modern epic filled with action, intelligence, and a meaningful commentary on the motivations that drive men to fight, then this movie is also for you.The DVD includes excellent features, including production notes, interviews, making of material, a trailer, and most importantly TWO documentaries pertaining to the historical accuracy of the film (History vs. Hollywood, and A&E Movie Real) which compliment the movie terrifically. In these times we now live, we more than ever need to look back to this period in order to better understand the continuation of conflict that persists not only in Jerusalem, but between western and Islamic culture in general. There is also a very nice feature that pops up information bubbles during the movie pointing out production decisions relevant to, and/or historical gripes and points about, that particular scene.

The Kingom of Heaven (4-Disc Director's Cut) touches on a pivotal period of time in the middle east detailing when the Crusaders lost Jerusalem. I am giving this movie 5 stars based on the photography, the music and the story line. I think this movie rates as one of the more entertaining era movies. The movie appears to tell a story in order to make a point, instead of following history exactly. The time period of the movie takes place just prior to the third crusade. The third crusade is seen by some as a romantic period. This movie shows to some extent how cruel and unromantic the crusades were. A majority of the characters in the movie are based on real people, though the story lines they follow weave in and out of their actual history. Balain, played by Orlando Bloom, is based on an actual character. Balain was not born in France. His story in the movie shows how someone could feasibly end up as a crusader. The Pope led the people to believe that if someone participated in the crusades all of their sins would be forgiven. Crusaders were also authorized to rape and pillage, provided the victims weren't Christians. This resulted in bringing a number of people of unhonorable character to participate in the crusades. I think the story line of the movie did a good job at pointing out how dishonorable the crusaders were. The movie could have gone further to show the cruelty of the Crusaders. A story following the fall of Jerusalem or the third crusade would have been better to point this out. The directors cut adds more to the story including the boy king. The boy king's demise is based somewhat on fact. The boy is said to have been sickly and conspiracy theories exist as to how he died. The movie follows the last few years of the Crusader occupation of Jerusalem. It shows the larger events that led to Saladin's attack that retook Jerusalem for the Muslims. It shows Saladin in a fair light. After researching this time era in history it is clear that Saladin was a man of honor. Though the ending of this movie is not 100% accurate. Saladin offered to let everyone out of Jerusalem for a ransom. Saladin even used some of his own money to buy the freedom of some of the residents of Jerusalem. In the end not all were freed and some of the Jerusalem residents went into slavery. The movie was filmed well and is picturesque. The costumes used are good, though others have pointed out that not all costumes are accurate to the time period. There is plenty of action, in all portions of the movie. The story line is good, but it is obvious the story is used to make a point. The sound track is above average. The director's cut is not rated. The film contains graphic violence mainly in the battles. Swords are used to sever limbs and heads. The movie contains some adult situations, but is tasteful and avoids nudity. The movie is entertaining and one of a few movies that cover this time period. It is well worth the time spent to watch it.

Excellent flick. Battle scenes are outstanding.