Kingdom of Heaven (2005): Knights Templar Defend Jerusalem

     Produced and directed by Ridley Scott, Kingdom of Heaven (2005) has all of the qualities one might hope to see in a sweeping historical battle epic. Set during the Crusades of the 12th Century, the story follows a despondent blacksmith as he travels from France to Jerusalem in a valiant effort to seek spiritual redemption and defend Jerusalem from the powerful Muslim army of Saladin. The main character is a loose portrayal of real-life Crusader, Balian of Ibelin. The depictions of Holy Land sites (although filmed elsewhere) and the fighting skills of the Knights Templar are particularly gripping. The struggle between Christianity and the relatively-new religion of Islam in gaining control of the Holy Land makes for an intriguing 2 1/2 hours (or over 3 hours in the Director's Cut). The cinematography in dark, moody and brilliant. The cast does a wonderful job, including Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Ghassan Massoud, Jeremy Irons, David Thewlis, Brendan Gleeson, Martin Csokas, Liam Neeson and Edward Norton.

: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Liam Neeson: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Orlando Bloom and Liam Neeson: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Liam Neeson: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Orlando Bloom: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Orlando Bloom: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Eva Green: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Jerusalem: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Jeremy Irons: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Orlando Bloom: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

King of Jerusalem: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Saladin: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Eva Green: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Orlando Bloom: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Edward Norton: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Orlando Bloom: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Saladin: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Knights Templar: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Edward Norton: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Orlando Bloom: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Eva Green: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Edward Norton: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Knights Templar: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Orlando Bloom: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Orlando Bloom: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Knights Templar: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Saladin: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Orlando Bloom: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Jerusalem: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Jerusalem: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

Eva Green: Kingdom of Heaven. Knights Templar

"Kingdom of Heaven"- movie trailer