Film Talk: Looking back – Medieval mastery with Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven

Directed by the man who had brought us Gladiator and would later bring us his take on the legend of Robin Hood, 2005’s Kingdom of Heaven was a fantastic addition to the historical drama pantheon.

Produced by Scott and written by William Monahan, the flick stars Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Ghassan Massoud, Jeremy Irons and Marton Csokas in a medieval tale of blood, honour, sacrifice and chivalry, set against the backdrop of the Holy Land. Also starring David Thewlis, Brendan Gleeson, Edward Norton, Liam Neeson, Michael Sheen, Velibor Topić and Alexander Siddig, this one packed star power and historical drama veterans in equal measure, bringing together a cast that would play the film out to perfection.

Set during the Crusades of the 12th century, the film is a heavily fictionalised portrayal of the life of Balian of Ibelin – a crusader noble of the kingdom of Jerusalem.

Filming of Kingdom of Heaven took place in Ouarzazate, Morocco, where Scott had in fact previously filmed both Gladiator and Black Hawk Down. For Kingdom of Heaven, locations in Spain were also used, including the Loarre Castle (Huesca), Segovia, Ávila, Palma del Río, and Seville’s Casa de Pilatos.

Starring an Orlando Bloom at the height of his powers, along with a wealth of other established talent, expectations for Kingdom of Heaven were high. But would it deliver and bring home the bank just as Gladiator had done?..

It is 1184, and a French village blacksmith Balian (Bloom) is in mourning over his beloved wife who has recently committed suicide – inconsolable after the death of their child.

Balian pursues with his work without happiness or hope when a passing crusader, Lord Godfrey, Baron of Ibelin (Neeson), reveals himself to Balian as his estranged father.

Godfrey offers Balian the chance at a new life as a crusader – an idea that Balian quickly rejects. Yet after killing a village priest who had stolen from his wife’s body, Balian embraces Godfrey’s offer and journeys to the Holy Land seeking redemption and a future.

As his journey progresses, Balian is taught the chivalric code and the skills of knighthood by his father, yet after their party is ambushed and Godfrey is fatally wounded, Balian must travel to Jerusalem without him and take his place at the royal court of King Baldwin IV (Norton).

Afflicted with leprosy, Baldwin holds a tenuous rule, with members of his own court including the cunning Guy de Lusignan (Csokas) and the brash and ruthless Reynald de Chatillon (Gleeson) scheming for power.

As Jerusalem is also under threat from Saracen ruler Saladin (Massoud), Baldwin must gather all of his loyal followers to preserve his kingdom of Heaven, and Balian must do his duty to his father, his king, and himself...

Receiving mixed reviews upon its release, Kingdom of Heaven went on to gross $218 million worldwide. In the same year as the original theatrical release, Scott released a director’s cut, which was overwhelmingly praised by critics, and is considered by many to be the definitive version of the flick.

With a strong leading turn from Bloom, a captivating performance from Eva Green, and typically impressive supporting work from Jeremy Irons, Kingdom of Heaven is an entertaining epic to the very last and always worthy of a re-watch. A compelling take on a strong historical story, with this one Scott proved once again that he is among the maestros of the genre.