Kingdom Of Heaven (DVD)

This is the version that die hard Ridley Scott fans have been waiting for, an extra 40 minutes of expanded storyline that sheds more light on the motivations of key characters such as the King of Jerusalem (Edward Norton), Sibylla (Eva Green), Godfrey (Liam Neeson) and Balian (Orlando Bloom).

An epic film set in Europe and the Middle East, Kingdom Of Heaven follows one man's struggle to better himself and the world around him. Orlando Bloom stars as Balian, a French blacksmith who is mourning the deaths of his wife and baby when his estranged nobleman father (Liam Neeson) arrives and asks him to join the Crusades in Jerusalem. Mindful that conducting the Lord's work will help him atone for his sins, Balian agrees and embarks on the perilous journey. Along the way, he reveals his gifts of inherent goodness and fair treatment of all human beings.

Upon reaching Jerusalem, a city where his meagre beginnings no longer matter, Balian earns respect and fealty while secretly courting the capricious wife of the ruthless Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas) who seeks a way to destabilise the uneasy Christian-Muslim truce brokered by King Baldwin (Edward Norton) and wage war against his religious enemy...

Director Ridley Scott bring the scale of his previous epic Gladiator to this film while confronting hundreds of years of religious conflict. At times controversial in both its content and production difficulties, populated by an all-star cast and held together by a sterling central performance from Orlando Bloom, Kingdom Of Heaven is a multi-faceted classic of a humble man who chooses his fate, instead of accepting the fate given to him at birth.

Bought it for my brother's birthday-he seemed to enjoy it although he's not a fan of Orlando Bloom-enjoyed Eric Bana and Liam Neeson in their roles but didn't think it matched the hype.