'Kingdom of Heaven' doesn't disappoint

Epic filmmaking has been in a rut ever since the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy ended in 2003. Antoine Fuqua's "King Arthur" was a disaster, Wolfgang Petersen botched "Troy" and I didn't even bother seeing Oliver Stone's "Alexander" biopic. The problem? None of these directors were really qualified to make an epic. When I learned Ridley Scott was helming "Kingdom of Heaven," I definitely had confidence in the same man who brought us "Blade Runner," "Black Hawk Down" and of course "Gladiator." \n"Kingdom of Heaven's" storyline revolves around the story of a young blacksmith named Balian (Orlando Bloom) who is visited by Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson), a baron claiming to be his father. Balian dismisses the man wishing only to go about his craft until he commits murder and has no choice but to flee town. Balian catches up with the baron intent on traveling to Jerusalem until local authorities catch up and battle ensues. Godfrey is wounded and shortly after passes away but not before passing his title onto his son. Balian then travels to Jerusalem and finds himself serving under the leprosy-stricken King Baldwin (Edward Norton). Notions of war slowly begin brewing as Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas) and Reynald (Brendan Gleeson) disrupt the mutual peace between Jerusalem and the Muslim nation. The passing of King Baldwin allows Lusignan to take the throne. Sure enough, he announces war on the Muslims and yet another crusade ensues over the Jerusalem. \nWe've seen Orlando try and make a name for himself ever since "LOTR" put him on the map and the results were disappointing. While his performance in "Troy" was laughable, Orlando succeeds with "Kingdom." He is strong, confident and embodies the qualities of a man of knightly caliber with the only real complaint being that sometimes he seems too one-dimensional due to lacking an emotional range. The short performances by Neeson and Jeremy Irons, the latter playing enforcer Tiberias, are wonderfully convincing and I only wished they had more screen time. Eva Green is gorgeous and alluring as she plays Orlando's love interest despite being the wife of Lusignan. Edward Norton is also noteworthy considering even though we never see his face from behind the iron mask, his presence as King Baldwin is mysteriously engaging. My only real complaint with actors was that Csokas seemed very off-key at times while Brendan Gleeson was just too awkward.\nThe cinematography is breathtaking thanks to John Mathieson, who had previously collaborated with Scott on "Gladiator," "Hannibal" and "Matchstick Men." The beautiful landscapes and horrifying warfare makes you feel immersed in the film and that is one of the great qualities that Scott possesses in his films: the ability to put you in his cinematically crafted world. His world in "Kingdom" becomes very secular, not giving any preference towards the religion of Christians or Muslims, and this helps the film succeed. The only real problem with "Kingdom" is that it seems very rushed in certain places. Over 30 minutes were cut from Scott's original film so hopefully a future DVD release sees these elements restored. \nThere was a lot riding on "Kingdom of Heaven" since all recent epics were such upsets. While it may seem too rushed in areas, "Kingdom" is a solid film thanks to cast, crew and certainly Ridley Scott. It's been five years since "Gladiator" and about time Scott was handed another $100 million-plus budget. He makes excellent use of the money, creating an epic with satisfying end results.