Kingdom of Heaven (director's cut): Second time I saw this. First time was some six years ago. I think much more highly of this film now than I did then.
While I still think they could've had a better lead than Bloom, most of his lines and leadership only really venture at the films climax. There it's felt best that they needed someone with a lot more gravitas. Still, it's not a bad performance, he's just outshone by the likes of Irons, Neeson, Massoud, Thewlis, Norton and Green. Speaking of which, Norton conveys King Baldwin IVs wisdom, presence and respect he's earned so very well. I really think this is one of Norton's finest performances. A great feat considering we only see his eyes. Green is terrific too, she's mesmerizingly beautiful as always and she strikes a chord that is honest and affective. Her inner desire of ruling and her horror when it comes to her son are both so deeply rooted emotional feelings of her character, it's as if she's had decades of experience in film beforehand.
But I think Scott is one of the MVPs of this film as well. He keeps the momentum up, knows when to slow down and let the characters live and breathe and when to pull you into the action. I think Scott is both a great storyteller and filmmaker but with his best films it aligns and he's both. I think Kingdom of Heaven definitely belongs to his best films. The costumes, cinematography, production design and score are all beautiful. It's already a fifteen year old film but it looks as if it was made today.
