Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Ridley Scott

Writer (WGA):

William Monahan (written by)

Release Date:

6 May 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | History

Tagline:

Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Safeguard the helpless, and do no wrong

Plot:

Balian of Ibelin travels to Jerusalem during the crusades of the 12th century, and there he finds himself as the defender of the city and its people.

Plot Keywords:

Jerusalem | Knight | King | Sword | Blacksmith

Awards:

3 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Martin Hancock	...	Gravedigger
Michael Sheen	...	Priest
Nathalie Cox	...	Balian's Wife
Eriq Ebouaney	...	Firuz
Jouko Ahola	...	Odo
David Thewlis	...	Hospitaler
Liam Neeson	...	Godfrey de Ibelin
Philip Glenister	...	Squire
Orlando Bloom	...	Balian de Ibelin
Bronson Webb	...	Apprentice
Kevin McKidd	...	English Sergeant
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau	...	Village Sheriff
Steven Robertson	...	Angelic Priest
Marton Csokas	...	Guy de Lusignan
Alexander Siddig	...	Imad

Also Known As:

El reino de los cielos (Spain)
Königreich der Himmel (Germany)
The Crusades (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and epic warfare.

Runtime:

144 min | 190 min (director's cut) (Blu-Ray Disc) | 192 min (director's cut)

Country:

UK | Spain | USA | Germany

Language:

English | Arabic | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Taiwan:R-12 | Canada:14A | Portugal:M/12 | Netherlands:16 | Malaysia:U | Iceland:16 | Germany:16 (director's cut) | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15A | Italy:T | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Indonesia:Dewasa

Filming Locations:

Atlas Corporation Studios, Ouarzazate, Morocco

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

After the pitching of this film, studio marketing executives took it to be an action-adventure hybrid rather than what Ridley Scott and William Monahan intended it to be: an historical epic examining religious conflict. 20th Century Fox promoted the film as an action movie with heavy elements of romance, and in the advertising campaign, they made much of the 'From the Director of Gladiator' slogan. When Scott presented the 194 minute version of the film to the studio, they balked at the length and studio head Tom Rothman ordered the film to be trimmed down to two hours, feeling people wouldn't go to see a three hour movie. Ultimately, Rothman's decision backfired as the film gained mixed reviews (with many commenting that the film seemed 'incomplete') and under-performed at the US box office.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: In the movie Jerusalem is shown to be in a flat, sandy desert. Jerusalem is actually set on top of a mountain (Mount Zion) with massive valleys filled with trees, and other greenery surrounding the city walls.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Gravedigger: Crusaders.
Squire: Clear the road, if you will.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: Kingdom of Heaven (#12.10)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

THE CROW DESCENDS

Troy, King Arthur, Alexander, Gladiator ain't got nothing on this

I like Ridley Scott, not love, but like. He's made some great films (Blade Runner, Alien, Hannibal) as well as some I was never all that into (Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, G.I. Jane) I must admit with all the historical war films have come out over the past years I was reluctant to go see what I thought to be yet another Braveheart or Lord of the Rings minus the magic clone. Fortunetly, I underestimated Ridley this time. This film is by far one of his best. At first it may seem that Orlando Bloom is stuck once again in the role of a legendary warrior/archer/pirate slicing his way through an endless amount of baddies to win the battle. Thankfully this isn't the case. Here he plays a real character who gets injured and defeated, and has to think his way through battles just as much as he fights. The drama isn't tacked on either, even when Bloom is giving his addresses to his men urging them to fight it's never a cheesy impersonation of William Wallace. He doesn't preach freedom or unity or immortality, he makes it clear that these people are fighting for their lives and that's it. This isn't a cardboard copy straight out of the Hollywood quick buck machine. It's not just meant for summer eye candy. Kingdom of Heaven is a real film.