One wonders why Ridley Scott did this movie. The cast is not overwhelming, the subject matter is not too specific, there is no scene which could define it and there is no ending to speak of. I liked it a lot because of how it defies convention and is not formulaic. Young Balian is the son of a knight but they don't talk. The knight (Liam Neeson) has some powerful words to share with him. His wife has died and he ends up following his father to Jerusalem because of an act of violence he committed. His father is wounded and before he dies gives Balian an edict to follow. This is the most moving scene in KINGDOM OF HEAVEN which has many. There are other characters but who don't get enough screen time because we follow Balian incessantly. One who could have been developed more is the princess, the brother of the king. She has good lines provided by William Monahan but ends up looking on during the meat of the film and is not given any final words, not kewl, which she undoubtedly would have spoken given her previous wit. Higher powers seem to follow Balian around and this grabs our attention despite his laconic screen presence. The Arabs want to invade the holy city and we know the result before they even begin clashing so this is not what interests us but what does is how Balian will rally his men to make his name go down in history. [4 stars]
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