The Kingdom of Heaven

The Kingdom of Heaven

For a period of 100 years, there was a time of peace in Jerusalem. It was a tenuous peace but it was peace. Jerusalem was open to all, be they Jew, Muslim or Christian. Kingdom of Heaven takes place at the end of this period.

The movie opens in France where group of crusaders pass a burial at a village crossroads.

Balian (Orlando Bloom) has lost everything. The burial was his young wife, who committed suicide after the death of their child. He's in such deep mourning that it seems as though he's barely aware of the world around him.

Into this comes Godfrey of Ibelin. He's been searching for Balian--his illegitimate son--to ask for forgiveness and to offer to take him to the Holy Land.

Balian at first numbly refuses but then commits a horrific crime and rides off after his father. His goal: In the Holy Land he can find redemption not only for his sins, but those of his wife. By his deeds, he can save her from Hell.

Ambushed by men wanting to take Balian back to justice, Godfrey is mortally wounded but makes Balian a knight before he dies, passes his estate and title on. He also charges his son to "be a good knight", something Balian takes to heart.

Travel with a Knight-Hospitaler (David Thewlis) and several plot advancements later he arrives in Jerusalem where he is charged by King Baldwin IV (Edward Norton) and Tiberus (Jeremy Irons) the Marshall to protect the road to Jerusalem for everyone.

Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas) and Reynald de Chatillon (Brendan Gleeson) want war with the Muslims. God, after all is on their side. How can they lose? Their extremist counterparts on the Muslim side of the divide believe the same thing, because Allah is on their side. Baldwin and Saladin (Ghassan Massoud) have held a peace together by sheer strength of will, but Baldwin is dying of leprosy--his disfigurment is so profound he wears a silver mask at all times. And Guy is married to Balwin's sister, Sibylla (Eva Green). This means that Guy will be the next king. And that spells trouble.

Into this Balian comes into his own as a knight who has embraced everything that a knight should be and become a man of great personal integrity. He is literally offered the kingdom, but turns it down because the moral price is too high. At what price peace? Is it enough to condone murder?

Guy becomes King of Jerusalem, angers Saladin, and touches off a war that leads to the tragic Battle of Hattin and the seige of Jerusalem. Guy, in his stalwart belief that God's favor would make them the victors, left the city defenseless except for one knight--Balian.

Balian must defend the city, not for the rocks and stones and holy places, but for the people who live there.

When Balian