KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 2 out of 5

Because of: violence, gore, sexual content, anti-Christian themes

Rated:

Following his award-winning epic Gladiator, Ridley Scott brings us a dramatic retelling of one of the most shameful acts in Christian history: the Crusades. The story centers around young blacksmith Balian (Orlando Bloom), suffering the recent loss of his wife, who killed herself in grief over the death of their child. His biological father Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson) passes through on his way to war in the Holy Lands, offering Balian a position as his rightful heir. The opportunity is passed up, but morning bears Balian into his father's protection, pursued by members of the Catholic church who find Balian responsible for the murder of the local priest. In a rage over the decapitation of his wife's body, the mockery of the priest responsible, and the theft of his wife's cross from her grave, Balian pushed the wicked representative of the church into the flames. Godfrey refuses to allow the bishops to take his son away, and suffers a fatal wound in the ensuing battle.

Guided to Jerusalem by his father's faithful and empathetic priest Hospitaler (David Thewlis), Balian hopes to redeem his sins and those of his wife by fighting to preserve the Holy Land from Mohammedan invaders. The more he sees of the empire, the less of a desire to fight fills his soul. Instead, he devotes his time to creating aqueducts to benefit his lands and tenants. Peace has existed for some time beneath the reign of leprous King Baldwin (Edward Norton) and Saladin (Ghassan Massoud), but rogue knights responsible for attacking Arab caravans have increased the chances for impending war. The ruling Christian monarch finds Balian a likely candidate to replace him in years to come, and encourages the young man to consider marriage to his sister, Sibylla (Eva Green), once her husband Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas) is put to death. Tiberias (Jeremy Irons), an honored knight and personal counsel of the king, is involved in negotiations between the two rival armies, but cannot prevent impending war.

Kingdom of Heaven looks like an impressive epic worthy of anyone's ticket price, but is actually a thinly veiled attempt to alter history through modern ideals of political correctness. I have very rarely been this offended by a film. It portrayed all Christians as blasphemous heathens pursuing their own political and moral agendas beneath the banner of the church, while the Muslims are respectful of the Christian faith and willing to make allowances. The so-called "hero" ultimately rejects God and commits adultery with another man's wife. The film is entirely historically inaccurate, from calling the Mohammedans "Muslims" (a practice not commonly used until the mid-nineteen hundreds) to importing ridiculous European warfare into the streets of Jerusalem. (The massive scale attack on Jerusalem involves machinery more likely to be found a hundred years later in France.) The only two decent aspects involved the presence of a priest played by David Thewis, the only voice of moral courage and reason in the film, and the role of the King of Jerusalem, a truly just man. I loved both of them, and each displayed more courageous and fair semblances of faith.

The acting was phenomenal, but what you wind up with is a politically correct attack on Christianity that is both unfounded, inaccurate, and offensive. Ridley Scott is an open agnostic who has publicly professed his belief that Christians and Muslims are no different.  We are not the same. Islam is about hatred. Christianity is about love. We do not serve the same God, as was indicated in the film, and any good Muslim would be equally offended. He is not "God" to them. Their god is "Allah." I didn't know whether to groan, boo and hiss, or scoff when the sanctimonious, understanding Muslim respectfully replaced a Christian ornament in the temple that he'd just taken under siege. What about the destruction of the temples and churches? The slaughter of innocents? Even though the Catholic church was corrupt at that point in time, not all Christians were that way, and not all Crusaders were so ruthless. 

Most Christians will find this film, rampant with graphic bloodletting, occasional innuendo, and one brief but explicit love scene, ultimately entertaining but poorly researched and ultimately biased. There are aspects that remain memorable, and the acting all around is stellar. But when it comes to misrepresenting history so shamefully, and taking an already sore spot in religious history to the next level of indecency, I take offense. If you must see it, see it for King Baldwin and Hospitaler, and don't believe what the story tells you.

FURTHER OBSERVATIONS BY SHANNON H.

The era of the Crusades spanned almost two centuries, beginning in 1096 and ending in 1270 A.D.  During this time of war, it was a clash between Christians and Muslims as to who would gain not only the Holy Land but the supposed riches and wealth that came along with it. The motivation of not only of riches but "immediate salvation" after death in battle prompted European and Muslim knights to this "Kingdom of Heaven" to wash away their sins and kill "infidels." This film takes us to the time of the third Crusade (third attempt for European "Christians" to capture the Holy Land) in the year 1185.

Poor French blacksmith Balian (Orlando Bloom) makes his living producing swords, weapons, and other metallic items. He is content with his livelihood but is unhappy, as his wife had committed suicide after giving birth to a stillborn child. He encounters a group of knights on Crusade to Jerusalem, who stop by his shop to have their swords mended. While talking with the knights, one of them named Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson) recognizes Balian as his illegitimate son. Balian agrees to accompany Godfrey and his men to the Holy Land. Although a blacksmith by trade, Balian's fighting skills were pretty good and he manages to defend an attack by Catholic clerics seeking to punish him for the inadvertent murder of a priest.  However, some of the men were not so fortunate, especially Godfrey, who was wounded with an arrow to the ribs.

Balian is soon on his own, not sure what he is getting himself into. His spiritual faith wanes when he feels God has abandoned him. When local knights recognize him as Godfrey's son, Balian gains notoriety, especially from the ailing leper king of Jerusalem, Baldwin IV (Edward Norton), fellow knight Tiberias (Jeremy Irons), and French knight Reynald (Brendan Gleeson) who balks at the idea of being under the command of a lowly blacksmith. Balian also catches the eye of Reynald's "fiancée" Sibylla (Eva Green) and the two start a "relationship." The sickly King Baldwin suggests that Balian marry Sibylla to become the royal couple of Jerusalem, but Balian objects, saying he doesn't want to be king of anything. Baldwin soon dies, leaving the attention-seeking, Muslim-hating Reynald to marry Sibylla and to try to have Balian assassinated. All of these events come at a bad time when Muslim leader Saladin comes to capture the Holy Land for himself and for the neighboring Muslims.

Orlando Bloom is perfect as Balian, the disillusioned blacksmith-turned-knight, but his performance is not Oscar material.  The objectionable content in Kingdom of Heaven lies in the excessive violence and gore. There are constant sword fights and clashes between Christians and Muslims. European and Muslim knights are stabbed with swords, pierced with arrows, and blown to bits by fiery cannonballs. Muslim fighters are scalded to death with hot oil and fire by crusading soldiers. Balian fights a Muslim to the death for a single horse. A Muslim messenger from Saladin is stabbed in the chin. Blood is sprayed everywhere from all the fighting. There are only a few profanities: one use of bas****, one abuse of deity, and a couple of low-key cuss words. Sexual content consists of scattered innuendoes, and one love scene. Godfrey mentions to Balian that he is his illegitimate son by having an affair with his mother. Sibylla wears sexy lingerie on two occasions. Balian and Sibylla sleep together (it briefly shows Balian taking his clothes off and a quick, non-graphic fling; nothing but Balian's bare back is shown). 

Christians are portrayed through skewered Medieval Catholic theology. The priests are preaching outdated, non-Biblical teachings that killing Muslims isn't murder but a good deed in God's eyes. Before being burned to death by Balian, a priest chastises him for not going to the Crusades, and claims that God would leave him for not doing so.  The visiting pope in Jerusalem condemns Balian's actions as blasphem (Balian states that Jerusalem belongs to no one). On one occasion, Balian orders the bodies of fallen soldiers to be burned instead of being made to lie in state according to the Pope. The burning of the bodies was to prevent disease from spreading) but Balian assures him that God would understand and not hold it against them.  It is also stated in the film that Jerusalem was worth "nothing."  The Muslims were portrayed as victims of Christians who came to murder "infidels" in a battle for the Holy Land.

Murder is murder, no matter if the victim is Muslim, Jewish, Christian, or non-religious. Getting killed in battle does not ensure one's salvation.  Faith in Christ ensures salvation, because we as humans are too sinful to work our way to Heaven. God would NEVER abandon us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. When Balian reaches the Holy Land, he finds that he is not spiritually fulfilled and chooses to live in peace rather than battle the Muslims for Jerusalem.  He confides to a friend and fellow knight that he has lost his religion. "Religion" is man trying to reach/find God.  Christianity is God's way of reaching down to mankind with His invisible grace. Balian considers God to be a God of peace, and doesn't accept the heavy, twisted Catholic theology, but he also believes that God is the same God of the Christians, Jews, and Muslims.  While Christians and Jews are related spiritually, the Muslims are not (they worship an old, Arabic moon god they believe is the God of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam).  Saladin and Balian note that Jerusalem is "worthless."  How can a Biblical landmark be worthless?  Jesus preached in Jerusalem.  He was crucified and resurrected in Jerusalem.  The politically correct "theology" in this movie is a slap in the face to true believers in the Christian faith.

Ridley Scott's film is good production wise but overblown.  Unlike his earlier product, Gladiator, the speeches and dialogue are hackneyed to the point of mediocrity. Balian's oratories to the citizens of Jerusalem seem very uninspiring. The special effects are sometimes obviously computer generated. The love story wasn't given enough screen time to be meaningful, and from reading other critics, I thought Ridley Scott would be neutral and place the blame on both sides. Instead, the film neglects to inform us of the realities that spurred the Crusade: greed on both sides toward prosperity. I would advise fellow believers to go in with the knowledge that this is not an inspiring film. It has an underlining political agenda, and is excessively violent, but is exaggerated by special effects.

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