Kingdom of Heaven: Director's Cut (2005)

Twenty years ago, Sir Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Napoleon, 1492, Black Hawk Down) directed yet another large-scale historical drama.....this time taking place during the Crusades as we watch war escalate between the Saracins and Christian armies sent over from Europe.  And apparently no one really cared. :( The film received middling reviews and box office upon release.  

However following in the tradition of another maligned, often misunderstood genre epic which he directed back in the 1980's - Blade Runner - Ridley Scott arranged to have HIS own personal extended director's cut released to DVD, including at least forty minutes of extra footage.  The reaction was not only universally postiive but THIS version (which Ridley insists is the COMPLETE version of the story he was trying to tell) is now looked upon by many as one of his masterpieces.  It also features a stacked international cast including Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Jeremy Irons, David Thewlis, Marton Csokas, Brendan Gleeson, and Alexander Siddig.  Let's head back to the 12th Century Jerusalem to explore this epic tale!

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN: DIRECTOR’S CUT - 2005

Directed by Ridley Scott

Starring Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons, David Thewlis, Ghassan Massoud, Brendan Gleeson, Marton Csokas, Alexander Siddig, Michael Sheen, Khaled El Nabawy, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Kevin McKidd, and Edward Norton

Genre: Historical Epic (Audio clip)

Having never seen the original 2005 theatrical version, I have been hearing nothing but raves for this just over three hour special edition of Sir Ridley's Crusades-Era War epic. Still smarting from the bad taste of his disappointing new Gladiator sequel, it just felt like the right time to finally check this out. With Ridley just having done SO many of these historical epics - some good (Gladiator), some ok (Napoleon), some bad (Exodus), and some ugly (1492) - with mixed results by this point, I was just obviously skeptical that THIS one starring Orlando Bloom of all people would be the "masterpiece." 😆 Sure he looked cool as Legolas, yes he was kind of charming as Will in the 'Pirates movies....but could THIS guy have the heft to carry such a large-scale story with such potent subject matter? 

It pleases me to say that not only is Bloom genuinely good here leading this sprawling tale portraying French blacksmith Balian, the basterd son of a nobleman (Liam Neeson's Lord Godfrey) who is recruited to join the Crusades eventually rising up the military ranks to become a key defender of the City of Jerusalem (the titular Kingdom of Heaven)....but that Bloom's sublime performance is just one of several effective aspects of a FANTASTIC historical epic, certainly among the filmmaker's best films! 

For one thing, this movie has ONE key element in place which always separates The Martians in Scott's filmography from the Robin Hood's: a top-flight screenwriter with a command of the material. That would be the talented William Monoghan who would win an Oscar the following year for writing The Departed. Using the initial POV of a widowed, seemingly dashing European lapsed Christian (Bloom's Balian) would seem to be an iffy hook to hang such a complex story on, when you're trying to spin a tale about not only the futility of war but also a BALANCED telling of how the tribalism of organized religions (Christianity, Islam) fuel this perpetual cycle of betrayal and blood. On paper, Balian is not a rousing protagonist by any stretch (though Bloom is given at least one strong battle-speech in the third act which is delivered effectively) but more of an unwitting audience avatar with a sharp learning curve in both politics and warfare, admittedly helped by his mastery of metal. 

Bloom isn't delivering an Oscar-caliber performance but he does the job with the right chiseled look, strong action chops, and just the proper level of younger dude-bro bemusement which we had seen ATTEMPTED by younger Keanu in period pieces before.....ONLY one key difference is that unlike, Bloom nails the European accent which is essential! ;) Bloom looks and sounds the part, portrays a convincing arc, and happens to be surrounded by a truly stellar international cast all of whom bring their A-games to this gritty setting. For starters, I counted at least THREE future cast-members of Game of Thrones here all doing the job including Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Iain Glenn in smaller parts and Dorian Martell himself, Alexander Siddiq in the very critical role of Imad, a sharp military leader of the Saracin army whom Balian both befriends but also finds on the other side of the battlefield at points. Siddig brings cynicism and humanity to just one of several fleshed-out key players in this religious conflict.

And by the second act, we've also got Jeremy Irons in the mix playing the forceful leader of Christian "knights" Tiberias...and Brendan Gleason chewing the scenery as the sadistic troublemaker Reynald de Chatillon, Ghassan Massoud as the opportunistic King Saladin, Edward Norton (always covered in a mask) as the well-intentioned leperous King Baldwin, David Thewlis as a droll fellow Christian soldier, and Martin Csokas PERFECTLY cast as yet another shit-weasel villain as he was in XXX and The Equalizer! He's got the snear down but more than that, just always commands the screen doing bad things which HE (his character) perceives as good, here portraying the power-hungry crusader Guy de Lusignan. 🤗

And then there's Eva Green in one of her early breakout roles – just a year before she would appear in Casino Royale - as Queen Sibylla married to Guy but of course also strikes up a secret romance with Bloom's Balian....hey the chemistry is solid, they also happen to look quite good together. :) But more than that, Green delivers both joy and torment to an increasingly complicated character who has to make some wrenching decisions as the story progresses. She devours the screen as much as any one here. Beyond that, the film looks gorgeous traversing climate extremes from showy forests to barren deserts thanks to frequent Scott collaborator DP John Mathieson who has also lensed both Gladiator films in addition to Logan. The production design is lush, the costumes feel lived-in, and the choral-heavy score from Harry Gregson Williams is sufficiently rousing and emotional. Beyond that even though this extended cut has two overtures AND an intermission, this movie MOVES very effectively also thanks to editor Dody Dorn who at the time of this film's release had recently done stellar work with early Nolan films Memento and Insomnia.

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

England’s own Harry Gregson-Williams – who has collaborated with Ridley several times before and since – conduct this film’s bombastic, choral-filled orchestral score.  It’s just very lush, sweeping music which is far from this film’s most pronounced strength but certainly does the job. (Audio clip) \

And funnily enough, I found the most engaging music to be centered on the location which is at the heart of this story…..the City of Jerusalem.  And there are two tracks no less which cite the city which both incorporate several Middle Eastern instruments and sounds…..my favorite being the music accompanying Balian as he first arrives at the city for the first time, the rousing “To Jerusalem.” (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

In a key supporting role, you've got Neeson doing what he does best....as a weathered father figure/mentor to our protagonist, delivering intriguing instruction on swordplay NOT that dissimilar from his training efforts as Ducard to Bruce Wayne later that same summer in Batman Begins. :) I mean going back to Excalibur twenty years or Rob Roy ten years prior to this, when has Neeson NOT been perfect for medieval settings like this? Honestly would have liked a bit more of him…alas he’s pretty much gone after the first hour.  

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

Oh and what do you expect most from Ridley joints? 🤔 SPECTACLE of course....and this cut delivers that in spades with at least half a dozen superbly staged action and/or battle sequences! Character-driven, strong sense of geography, and sufficiently grisly violence...there are setpieces here which are among the best Ridley has delivered, as good as anything we would see in Gladiator, Napoleon, or Black Hawk Down. 😯 (Not exactly faint praise) The absolute highlight HAS to be an extended siege by the Saracin Army on the outer walls of Jerusalem which we see under both sunlight and the darkness of night. It could easily be compared to both 'Helm's Deep from LOTR or the Battle of the Wall from GOT but kinda blows both of them away with a combination of gnarlier violence and just sheer attention to detail. We see how for the European crusading forces (lead by Bloom's Balian) to simply hold this wall, clearcut victory is never an option. It becomes a stubborn war of attrition testing the other side's willingness as to just HOW many of their superior numbered forces they are willing to see completely immolated with oil and flames pouring down on them even as they chip away at this thing! 

MVP (person most responsible for the success of this film):

Being a long-time fan of Sir Ridley for decades now but also more often-than-not finding disappointment in most of his recent opuses, I cannot tell you how gratifying it was to watch this and to just enjoy it SO thoroughly.  Yes he had the necessities in place - strong cast and strong screenwriter – but he just makes this dense material SING on a scale which few of even today’s most accomplished filmmakers could truly pull off.  For directing what I believe MIGHT be his Best Film of the 21st Century – it’s a close call between this and The Martian – Ridley Scott is the MVP. (Audio clip) 

Final Rating: 5 stars out of 5

I have no idea just what was actually missing from the original 140 minute theatrical cut compared to this version and to be frank…I simply have no interest in finding out. :) This version of this story accomplishes everything it sets out to do and given when this film came out (2005), I can't imagine that either version would have done well with American audiences given the politics of the movie....not in how it paints the Christians as arguably more fanatical and brutish than the Muslims. 

Regardless it contains an overall message which would have been relevant at the height of the second Gulf War and just as much now with a closing title card which bluntly states that "nearly a thousand years later, peace in the Kingdom of Heaven still remains elusive.  Happy Twentieth Anniversary to what MIGHT be the best historical epics of the modern era and a director’s cut which SURELY deserved to be seen on the big screen.

Streaming on Prime Video (Director’s Cut)

And that ends another SWEEPING review!