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Did you like Troy? Did you like Gladiator? If so, you might like this, but I found this more entertaining for the meditations on what faith means and the dedication of oneself and one's own faith to a cause that is corrupted and deviating from the true intention of what is trying to be done.
This is a pretty interesting history lesson; King Baldwin IV (an uncredited performance by Edward Norton - under a silver mask) brokered and maintained a steady peace btwn the Christians, Muslims and Jews, allowing them all to worship peacefully in the city of Jerusalem. Orlando Bloom is a blacksmith whose lapse of faith after losing his wife and his child, takes upon the duty imposed by his long lost Knight father (played by Liam Neeson), after a rather bloody incident involving a priest and an a stolen cross. Despite not having any faith and a sense that God has abandonned him, he embarks on the duty that his father charges upon him.
The film touches on divine right and the bastardization of it's meaning, often serving as an excuse for a power grab, greed or a variety of other motivations that are anything but devine. While the Musilm warriors are depicted as brave and honourable, they lack any real depth, and any true representation. Performances by Jeremy Irons (as the King's Advisor) and David Thewlis (acting as the Hospitalier - a guardian of Orlando Bloom), are more than adequate, but I wish they could have done more with the characters, as they offer the most important and most thought provoking parts to the film.
The battle scenes are what Lord of the Rings, Troy and even Alexander offered - chaotic, brutal and confusing, but still with a sense of who's where and what's happening. Remember this is from the director who did Blackhawk Down, and did a fine job of capturing the frenzy of modern combat strikingly well.
This is a pretty interesting history lesson; King Baldwin IV (an uncredited performance by Edward Norton - under a silver mask) brokered and maintained a steady peace btwn the Christians, Muslims and Jews, allowing them all to worship peacefully in the city of Jerusalem. Orlando Bloom is a blacksmith whose lapse of faith after losing his wife and his child, takes upon the duty imposed by his long lost Knight father (played by Liam Neeson), after a rather bloody incident involving a priest and an a stolen cross. Despite not having any faith and a sense that God has abandonned him, he embarks on the duty that his father charges upon him.
The film touches on divine right and the bastardization of it's meaning, often serving as an excuse for a power grab, greed or a variety of other motivations that are anything but devine. While the Musilm warriors are depicted as brave and honourable, they lack any real depth, and any true representation. Performances by Jeremy Irons (as the King's Advisor) and David Thewlis (acting as the Hospitalier - a guardian of Orlando Bloom), are more than adequate, but I wish they could have done more with the characters, as they offer the most important and most thought provoking parts to the film.
The battle scenes are what Lord of the Rings, Troy and even Alexander offered - chaotic, brutal and confusing, but still with a sense of who's where and what's happening. Remember this is from the director who did Blackhawk Down, and did a fine job of capturing the frenzy of modern combat strikingly well.
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