Face-Off: Braveheart vs. Kingdom of Heaven (Director’s Cut)

Orlando Bloom as Balian
Eva Green as Sibylla
Jeremy Irons as Tiberias
David Thewlis as The Hospitaller
Brendan Gleeson as Reynald
Marton Csokas as Guy de Lusignan
Edward Norton as King Baldwin
Michael Sheen as Priest
Ghassan Massoud as Saladin
Alexander Siddig as Imad ad-Din al-Isfahani
and Liam Neeson as Baron Godfrey of Ibelin

Only Ridey Scott could have made a movie like KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. Now, I’m not just talking about the riding-into-battle action, gushing blood and use of impressive visuals and production design (more on that later). What I mean is that KOH is a fantastically staged epic that is equal parts ballsy and intelligent. Even in 2005 it was completely mad to think about making a movie as long and bold in ideas as KOH – with not all that much action peppered in. Through his Director’s Cut we got to the see the movie he intended to go into theaters – a three-hour plus movie with an overture, intermission and entr’acte – much like the epics of a bygone era like THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, BEN-HUR and LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. Scott lives up to those titles by meshing amazing production values with rich characters with flaws, motives and ideals that clash, contributing to the themes of religious conflict and moral duty. In that sense it is a true Biblical epic in spirit, and Scott does a masterful job of juggling everything to create a poignant and awe-inspiring film.

While William Monaghan’s script is lacking on the inspiring speeches (Bloom does get a good one, in the end) that talk about men who can shoot lighting from their arse, his makes up for it with a compelling story about faith and morality involving two warring factions during the Crusades (Christians and Muslims), releasing at a time when tensions between the two groups couldn’t be higher. The script paints full portraits of the characters, each of whom have their roles to play in this grand tale. There’s Guy Lusignan as the Templar extremist, pushing boundaries against the Muslims; there’s Saladin, bent on reclaiming the Holy Land and; in the middle is Balian, a man who no longer believes in religion after losing his wife and son, seeking to fight for the people of Jerusalem because it’s the morally just thing to do. Monaghan picks (and embelishes) little moments from history to drive these characterizations home, like Balian’s surrender of the city to Saladin, saying he would rather burn every religious monument – dear to both sides – than see the city sacked in the name of religious conquest. Saladin compromises, offering the safety of everyone if he surrenders the city. When asked by Balian why it means so much, Saladin replies, “Nothing. Everything.” KOH’s script may not have that spark of madness and ferocity as BRAVEHEART’s, but it lines its romance, drama and action with intelligence and depth lacking in modern epics.

Orlando Bloom is not exactly the toast of the acting world. He's not bad, it's just that studios saw his Errol Flynn, swashbuckler look and took it too far too often, and he got pigeonholed into some less-than-challenging roles. In KOH he gets to be the best of that type as the quiet, just Balian. What Scott and the casting department knew is if he was going to play that kind of character in one movie, let it be this one, as the straight moral compass of him is what sets him apart from the falacies of the other characters. On that note all I can say is that Bloom was, for once, properly utilized, and he shows some range and personality as the movie goes on, and it stands, and don't @ me, as his best work to date. 

Bits: 

Killing Priest
Sword Lessons
Battle in the Woods
A New Knight
Shipwrecked
Sand Battle
Enter Sibylla
King Baldwin
Sibylla and Balain
Guy and Reynard Charge
Battle at Kerak
Passing of a King
Three-on-One
Vultures on the Battlefield
Balian's Speech
Day One of Assault/Bombardment 
Day Two of Assault/Tearing Down the Towers
Final Day/Breaking Down the Wall
The Surrender
Balian vs. Guy

Lines:

Godfrey: "I once fought two days with an arrow through my testicle."

Godfrey: "Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Be brave and upright that God may love thee. Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong. That is your oath. [smacks Balain] And that's so you remember it."

Hospitalier: "I put no stock in religion. By the word religion I have seen the lunacy of fanatics of every denomination be called the will of God. Holiness is in right action and courage on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves, and goodness. What God desires is here [points to head] and here [points to heart} and what you decide to do every day, you will be a good man – or not."

Balian: "God will understand, my lord. And if he doesn't, then he is not God and we need not worry."

Balian: "You go to certain death."
Hospitaller: "All death is certain. I shall tell your father what I've seen you become."

Balian of Ibelin: "What is Jerusalem worth?"
Saladin: "Nothing. Everything."

King Baldwin: "A king may move a man, a father may claim a son, but that man can also move himself, and only then does that man truly begin his own game. Remember that howsoever you are played or by whom, your soul is in your keeping alone, even though those who presume to play you be kings or men of power."

Balian: "What man is a man who does not make the world better?"

Balian: "When the Christians captured Jerusalem, they massacred every Muslim in the city walls…"
Saladin: "I am not those men. I am Salahudin."

Saladin: "Will you yield the city?"
Balian: "Before I lose it, I will burn it to the ground. Your holy places – ours. Every last thing in Jerusalem that drives men mad."

Harry Gregson-Williams does a great job with the KOH soundtrack, mixing Middle Eastern sounds with the kinds of sweeping scores you'd hear in GLADIATOR and LORD OF THE RINGS. It's smooth and glides between action and drama, emphasizing both in powerful ways. There are a lot of different sounds going on here, and it's an elegant and sometimes magnificent score that's befitting for the kind of epic this is — more concerened with setting and characters than spectacle. But it loses to BRAVEHEART thanks to that score's stronger, more memorable sound, and while KOH's is great it doesn't stay with you as long as the other one does. 

KOH is a gorgeous f**king movie. Cinematographer John Mathieson and production designer Arthur Max did a marvelous job recreating the vast landscapes of the era, from the harsh cold of France to the brutal deserts of the Middle East. Mathison switches up the styles for a whirlwind of color and tones, while Max gives rich detail to the enviornments themselves, all making for a transportative experience. The visual effects department gets props here too, meshing practical effects with CGI to create a look that is both authentic and spectacular. Scott is right there with them, giving many shots the breadth they need to showcase the work of Mathison and Max, with more than a few memorable shots across the runtime. Even in the theatrical cut this is a gorgeous movie to look at, and its a shame it wasn't recognized by the bigger awards outlets. Oh well, in the Director's Cut there's plenty more to go around, and you don't need to watch long to see this is one of the most unique-looking epics you're likely to watch. 

As much as I enjoy the rest of the movie, the action here is actually what I found myself more disengaged with. Sure, there's nothing wrong with sword-sword combat, horses charging into battle and all that buisness, but where Scott succeeds everywhere else in spades, here seems to have the least innovation applied to it. Come the thrid act everything picks up, with the seige of Jersualem a feast for the eyes and filled with classic imagery you come to the theaters to see (flying fireballs, explosions, bloody bodies clamoring over each other, etc.). One thing this cut does best is prove why it was a dumb idea to cut it up and market the original as an action-epic, because that is clearly not the stuff Scott is mostly focused on here.