Kingdom of Heaven

HHH (out of four)

Director: Ridley Scott

Rating: R

Run time: 145 minutes

Venue: South Wind 12 Theatres

In “Kingdom of Heaven,” Ridley Scott’s flawed but substantial Crusades epic, ships bearing white sails with huge red crosses painted on them leave the Port of Messina for the Holy Land of Jerusalem. It’s an apt visual metaphor for a world filled with adventure, faith and blood.

The film begins in France in 1186, when the 200-year war between European Christians and Eastern Muslims is well under way. Balian (Orlando Bloom), a French blacksmith, has recently become a widower after the suicide of his beloved wife. Her corpse still lies fresh on the ground when Godfrey (Liam Neeson) rides into town with his rugged band of knights and invites Balian on a crusade. After the blacksmith has killed the priest who cursed his dead wife, the Christians set out on a quest for the Holy Land.

The first hour of “Kingdom of Heaven” is quieter and less violent than audiences have come to expect from the sword-and-sandal genre. The story unfolds on a small scale, with only a few fight scenes to show off Scott’s fondness for the sound of metal driving through flesh and the sight of snow falling on the faces of the dead. The director and his screenwriter, William Monahan, have stacked much of the exposition toward the beginning, saving the spectacle for later.

When he reaches Jerusalem, Balian gets caught up in the palace intrigue of the good King Baldwin (Edward Norton), the Christian ruler’s beautiful sister, Sibylla (Eva Green) and her troublesome husband, Gui (Marton Csokas). Baldwin’s nemesis, the Muslim leader Saladin (Ghassan Massoud), has taken up camp in Damascus with 200,000 men, waiting for the Christians to blink.

While Norton creates the most vivid character in the movie, Bloom’s performance is more problematic. The British poster-boy, who played Legolas in Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, has buffed up considerably for the role. But he’s still far too compact for an action star, and his voice lacks the force to command the center of attention. The film also has some underwritten characters and a bombastic score.

Despite its flaws, “Kingdom of Heaven” thrills as a relevant piece of history and as a wide-screen visual feast.

Where other filmmakers might have demonized Saladin and staged a classic battle of good versus evil, Scott treats the character with historical accuracy and respect. Salidin and his Saracen army attack only after Gui has slaughtered Muslim women and children. This sets up an unconventional final battle where the motivations of both sides are commendable.

Scott’s recreation of the Battle of Hattin is one of the most visually stunning action set pieces of recent years, with thousands of arrows flying overhead and fireballs lighting up the night in brilliant flashes. No one approaches action sequences with more directorial flair.

“Kingdom of Heaven” ends with a haunting postscript stating that the conflict in the region continues to this day. Judged alongside similar epics of the decade, the film is more intelligent than “Troy” but less visceral than “Gladiator.” Its emphasis on moral complexity will probably win it more admirers than hardcore fans, but this is the rare action movie that matters.

— Edited by Azita Tafreshi