Kingdom of Heaven poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Jeremy Irons, David Thewlis, Brendan Gleeson ... see more see more... , Marton Csokas , Michael Sheen , Liam Neeson , Edward Norton , Ghassan Massoud , Alexander Siddig , Khaled Nabawy , Kevin Mckidd , Velibor Topic , Jon Finch , Ulrich Thomsen , Nikolaj Coster-Waldau , Iain Glen , Giannina Facio , Philip Glenister , Eriq Ebouaney , Shane Attwooll , Jouko Ahola , Angus Wright , Karim Saleh , Nasser Memarzia , Martin Hancock , Bronson Webb , Steven Robertson , Nathalie Cox , Michael Shaeffer , Lofti Yahya Jedidi , Samira Draa , Matthew Rutherford , Emilio Doorgasingh , Peter Cant , Michael Fitzgerald

Ridley Scott directed this epic-scale historical drama inspired by the events of the Crusades of the 12th century. Balian (Orlando Bloom) is a humble French blacksmith who is searching for a reason to... read more read more... go on after the death of his wife and children. Balian is approached by Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson), a fabled knight who has briefly returned home after serving in the East. Godfrey informs Balian that he is his true father, and urges the blacksmith to join him as he and his forces journey to Jerusalem to help defend the holy city. Balian accepts, and he and Godfrey arrive during the lull between the Second and Third Crusades, in which the city is enjoying a fragile peace. Both Christian and Muslim forces are temporarily in retreat, thanks to the wisdom of the Christian monarch King Baldwin IV (Edward Norton), his second-in-command Tiberias (Jeremy Irons), and Muslim potentate Saladin (Ghassan Massoud). Violent agitators on both sides are foolishly eager to end the peace in a bid for greater power, and Saladin bows to pressures from Muslim factions; Godfrey is one of a handful of brave knights who has thrown his allegiance behind Baldwin IV and his community of diversity, and Balian joins him as they use their skills as warriors in a bid to build a lasting peace. Kingdom of Heaven also stars Eva Green as the princess Sibylla, David Thewlis as Hospitaler the priest, and Brendan Gleeson as Reynald. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

72% liked it

332,937 ratings

Critics

39% liked it

185 critics

R, 2 hr. 25 min.

Directed by: Ridley Scott

Release Date: May 6, 2005

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: October 11, 2005

Get It:

Stats: 21,651 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Kingdom of Heaven Kingdom of Heaven Orlando Bloom Kingdom of Heaven Kingdom of Heaven Kingdom of Heaven Kingdom of Heaven Kingdom of Heaven Kingdom of Heaven "That will suit me" Orlando Bloom as Balian, Marshal of Jerusalem Orlando! you're_gone_balian Kingdom of Heaven Kingdom of Heaven Kingdom of Heaven Balian: blacksmith, knight, baron Kingdom of Heaven
Upload a Photo | View All Kingdom of Heaven Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (21,651)

  • allan913
    May 14, 2012
    allan913
    The director`s cut of the film makes this a materpiece. It adds more accuracy and vison to Scott`s firece and bloody epic of dazzling power and dedication. An exhilerating and spectacular action-packed adventure epic. A stunning, stylish, deeply moving and jaw-dropping historical... read more epic that ranks with Gladiator and Braveheart. Director, Ridley Scott has crafted another fine masterwork. It`s jammend with awesome and well-crafted battle sequences. A truly magnificent cast. Orlando Bloom is teriffic, crafting a surprisingly enduring and compelling performance. Liam Neeson and Jeremy Irons are superb. Edward Norton is brilliant.
  • cosmo313
    July 31, 2011
    cosmo313
    As much as I enjoyed this, I think I would have liked it more had I watched the director's cut and not the flawed and disliked (by Scott himself) theatrical cut. Regardless, this is a sweeping epic that is beautiful to look at, has amazing costumes, sets, art direction, and cinem... read moreatography, and features music that is a delight to listen to.

    It's a given that this, and others like it, are historically inaccurate and fictionalized. That is to be expected. I may be a historian, and although the events and time depicted are not my speciality, I have taken a class on the Crusades, and can weigh in more easily about what is right and wrong with the depictions. Whether I have extensive knowledge of things in any historical film or not, I am generally very tolerant and understanding of things, and try not to do too much condemning.

    I wished there was better character development and better plotting, both of which I hope the director's cut fixes. The performances were generally pretty good, and while I don't think Orlando Bloom can quite carry a film on his own yet (like he has to here), he's getting better .The supporting cast is terrific, with major props going to Irons, Green (despite murkiness with her character), the unrecognizable Norton, and the guy who played Saladin.

    The battle scenes are terrific, and they are choreograped and executed quite well. It's also nice to note that the use of extras and real animals and props took place over CGI. Even though they are flawed, the non battle scens are good too; Maybe I happened to like them even more since I am a scholar, and can appreciate the dialogue heavy socio/political/religious content. Some of the dialogue is kinda bad, but the other great stuff makes up for it.

    So yeah, this version is heavily flawed, but I still enjoyed it. When it comes to epic film making, Ridley Scott is a modern master.
  • DreamExtractor
    April 26, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    A exceedingly good film, it was true, dramatic, and amazing. Orlando Bloom mightve been a wrong choice, but the rest of the cast was perfect in their roles, espically Edward Norton. This movie had an amazing plot, characters, and historical accuracy. On the bonus the action wa... read mores awesome too, Kingdom of Heaven is a must see.
  • SirPant
    April 8, 2011
    SirPant
    Generally this isn't my kind of film but I thought Kingdom of Heaven was quite good. I didn't even begin to take the historical accuracies seriously though, for me it was all about the performances and the visuals. It was a little wishy washy at times but overall I enjoyed it.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    January 17, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Kingdom Of Heaven follows perfectly well in the footsteps of Ridley Scott's previous epic / historical work, Gladiator. Both touch on epic subjects, except now the setting is the during the Crusades as the war against Palestine wages on to reclaim the Holy City of Jerusalem. Th... read moree Story follows Balian of Ibelin(Orlando Bloom), a village blacksmith who is grieving for his wife who has just killed herself. He joins the Crusaders to find salvation and answers. He rises to knighthood, and protects and defends Jerusalem and it's people from the attacking Persians who seek to reclaim the Holy City back from the Christians. Kingdom Of Heaven has all the ingredients of a great Historical period epic. The sets and costumes look phenomenal, and theres plenty of sword combat throughout the film. A surprising casting choice was Edward Norton as King Baldwin Iv, at first I didn't know it was Edward Norton, and he really blew me away for the short time he was in the film. I have yet to view the director's cut of the film, but for what I have seen in the theatrical cut, I very much enjoyed it. I'm sure I'll prefer the director's cut, but I haven't gotten around to viewing it. Kingdom Of Heaven is flawed, but tells an almost accurate story, as they said it was loosely based on the exploits of Balian. If you love epic period pieces with lots of action and drama, such as Braveheart, Troy, Gladiator and 300, then give Kingdom Of Heaven a watch, it is a well crafted film with great storytelling and acting. One of the best period epics in a while.
  • sanjurosamurai
    January 15, 2011
    sanjurosamurai
    great flick if youre into the era
  • MeetMeinMontauk
    December 12, 2010
    MeetMeinMontauk
    My god I found this fantastically dull. Perhaps it is because I find the Crusades, boring and bordering on heathenish as a historical period, or maybe it because I am not a Christian, but yikes it took an effort to get through.
    But something with Orlando Bloom, Edward Norton, Lia... read morem Neeson, and Ridley Scott directing, I'll sit through it. However I always manage to find redeemable qualities in every film and while story was rough, there were some fantastically beautiful shots. Excellent violence and great acting.
    At times, I had several Lord of the Rings flashbacks. The setting fire to the towers was interesting. I think Orly learned it from being Legolas. Or that is how I entertain myself when I see actors in similar roles. I did like some of the religious liberty and lessons in it, but doubt that is even close to how it was in history.
  • lewiskendell
    July 11, 2010
    lewiskendell
    "There'll be a day when you will wish that you had done a little evil to do a greater good." My main problems with Kingdom of Heaven begin and end with Orlando Bloom. Both his character in the movie, and the actual actor. I'm sorry, but he was a terrible fit for this. I can buy... read more him as an elf. I can buy him as Will Turner, pirate extraordinaire. But I didn't find him the least bit credible, in this role. This was way beyond him. Russel Crowe, he is not.

    As for the actual character, his meteoric rise from village blacksmith to the heights of power is tough to swallow. Men of great power give Balian so much respect, trust, and incredibly important positions, based on...what? Who his father was? He just has no real character development to convince the audience that he's worthy of leading armies, or that his sudden (and frankly, unbelievable) relationship with Princess Sibylla is based on anything besides the writer's need to have it in the story. That kind of weak and shallow writing (which is sadly not only limited to the character of Balian, all of the characters are little more than caricatures) really irks me, and it definitely hurt the movie. Bland is not an admirable description of this kind of character.

    On the positive side, the scale of the movie is beyond impressive. The battles are well- choreographed and appropriately epic, the desert and city setting are beautiful and authentic, and the excellent cinematography captures it all beautifully. I genuinely wanted to learn more about this time in history, after I watched it.

    This could have been a great movie, with a better lead actor and better writing. As it stands, Ridley Scott failed to return to the success that Gladiator found. Visually, Kingdom of Heaven is a treat. The rest is adequate, at best.
  • FiLmCrAzY
    March 28, 2010
    FiLmCrAzY
    really good interesting exciting and very good alot of fit acors in there as well
  • smith44
    February 5, 2010
    smith44
    A Dramatic Epicof the old school. Should have been a Great Movie but failed due to bad performances and historical inaccuracy.

View All Kingdom of Heaven Reviews

Critic Reviews

Desson Thomson
May 6, 2005
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

As Balian and his people withstand the might of Saladin's fiery projectiles, siege towers and the usual computer-generated swarm of soldiers, it's hard not to think we're really watching The Lord of t... Full Review

Stephen Hunter
May 6, 2005
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

Is Orlando Bloom enough of a star to sustain a $100 million costume drama? The answer turns out to be yes. Full Review

Stephanie Zacharek
May 6, 2005
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

Since we barely know what's at stake -- we're too confused and bored to care -- all this fighting means nothing to us, and yet Scott still hopes to rev us up with it. Full Review

Geoff Pevere
May 6, 2005
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

Considerably more ambitious and significantly less satisfying than Gladiator. Full Review

David Edelstein
May 6, 2005
David Edelstein, Slate

An epic about Christian crusaders who happen to be liberal humanists willing to die for the sake of religious tolerance. That's just ... weird. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
May 6, 2005
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

To say that Scott did a beautiful job directing Kingdom of Heaven would be true, but it wouldn't convey the nature of the achievement. Full Review

Roger Moore
May 6, 2005
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Scott's battles are ferocious things of grim beauty -- bloody, personal and deafening crashes of armored men and horses colliding at full gallop. Full Review

Stephen Whitty
May 6, 2005
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

As Balian, a blacksmith turned Crusader, Orlando Bloom should embody a character who passes through some sort of transforming crucible. Yet he learns nothing. Full Review

Lou Lumenick
May 6, 2005
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

The battle sequences here are actually worth the cost of admission, and there is exemplary supporting work by Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons, Edward Norton and especially Syrian actor Ghassan Massoud as th...

Andrew Sarris
May 6, 2005
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

The religious sentiment accumulates into a tower of politically correct Jell-O. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Troy
    Troy (80%)
  • King Arthur
    King Arthur (83%)
  • Robin Hood
    Robin Hood (80%)
  • The Mission
    The Mission (50%)

More Movies like Kingdom of Heaven

Facts

Submit a Fact | View All
    • Sibylla: Sometimes it is better to do a lesser evil to do a greater good.
    • Balian: What could a king ask of a man like me?
    • Godfrey: A better world than has ever been seen. A kingdom of conscience. A kingdom of heaven.
    • Balian: You go to where the men speak Italian, and then continue until they speak something else.
    • King Baldwin IV: A king may move a man, a father may claim a son, but that man can also move himself, and only then does that man truly begin his own game. Remember that howsoever you are played or by whom, your soul is in your keeping alone, even though those who presume to play you be kings or men of power. When you stand before God, you cannot say, 'But I was told by others to do thus,' or that virtue was not convenient at the time. This will not suffice. Remember that.
    • Hospitaler: I put no stock in religion. By the word religion I have seen the lunacy of fanatics of every denomination be called the will of god. I have seen too much religion in the eyes of too many murderers. Holiness is in right action, and courage on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves, and goodness. What god desires is here [points to head]
    • Hospitaler: ...and here [points to heart]
    • Balian: ...and what you decide to do every day, you will be a good man - or not.
    • Balian: What is Jerusalem worth to you?
    • Saladin: Nothing. Everything!
Submit a Fact | View All

Kingdom of Heaven : Watch Free on TV

Kingdom of Heaven Trivia

  • In this movie the main character is Bialian, he fights to save jerusalum, and he surenders the city for the good of the people. He also fell in love, with the princess of jurusalum. Name the movie...  Answer »
  • Which of these is not a remade movie?  Answer »
  • In what movie do we hear: "Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Speak the truth,always,even if it leads to your dead.Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong.That is your oath.(He slaps the man in front of him) That is for you to remember."  Answer »
  • what movie of a kingdom heaven did orlando bloom star in?  Answer »
More Kingdom of Heaven Trivia

Movie Quizzes

Create a Quiz |

All Quizzes

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All Kingdom of Heaven Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add Kingdom of Heaven to favorites

Recent News

Submit a Story |

View Kingdom of Heaven News

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

necrosharpe Skin by necrosharpe
446 Profiles
Add to Profile

More Skins