Valley Star

Issue date: 5/18/05 Section: Valley Life

20th century Fox

"KINGDOM OF HEAVEN"

Dir: Ridley Scott

Feat.: Orlando Bloom, Edward Norton

four stars (out of 5)

In the splendidly choreographed battle sequences of "Kingdom of Heaven," flaming arrows fly, swords are wielded, limbs are lost and there is no shortage of bloodletting. Ironically the film is far less about war than it is about the value of peace and the nature of virtue and honor.

"Kingdom of Heaven" does more than give us a history lesson within an entertaining blockbuster. It questions our motivations to fight. This inquiry is particularly valid when one considers the present state of things in the region in which the film is set.

In the year 1184, between the 2nd and 3rd Crusades, Jerusalem is under Christian rule and the informal truce fostered by King Baldwin IV and Muslim leader Saladin is near collapse as factions on each side of the holy conflict are calling for war against the other. At the heart of the film is the plight of Balian (Orlando Bloom), a blacksmith who is improbably knighted and eventually appointed by Baldwin to lead the defense of Jerusalem against Saladin's encroaching army.

Bloom's performance is credible and assured. In Balian's pre-battle negotiation with Saladin, we believe him wholeheartedly when he declares that any man that dares to approach the walls of the holy city will meet their end.

A few period war epic clichés do appear in the film, such as the reluctant hero and the stock speech that precedes the climactic battle sequence. What's interesting, though, is that Balian's reluctance to be the hero is due to the fact that he is unsure of whether he is worthy of fighting for the ultimate cause, God's cause. And while the pre-battle speech is not always necessary, in this case dramatically it works.

The movie works on many levels: its story for the most part seems to be directly from the history books, costume and set designs are realistic, and brilliant performances abound. But what sets "Kingdom of Heaven" apart from other films of its ilk is how it spotlights current world issues within the context of a story that occurred hundreds of years ago.

Lion´s Gate

"CRASH"

Dir: Paul Haggis

Feat.: Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges

three stars (out of 5)

"Crash," a hard look at racism in Los Angeles, is one of the most thought-provoking films of the year but doesn't quite live up to its potential greatness.

Concerning a dozen or so loosely connected characters (think "Short Cuts" or "Magnolia") the film deals with the conflicts that arise during a short period in their intersecting lives, where they "Crash" into each other.

Co-writer and director Paul Haggis' (writer of "Million Dollar Baby") script is on par with the Altman and Anderson films as far as character development and dialogue. Unlike those films however, as this film's plot becomes more and more complex, the movie becomes more and more difficult to believe.

Haggis and co-writer Robert Moresco's characters are rich. They manage to avoid depicting any one character as a complete angel or as Satan himself, which is no easy task when dealing with the issue of racism. They remain objective in their portrayals of racial politics but it seems they try too hard to persuade the audience to suspend judgment.

Case in point: Matt Dillon is a racist cop who pulls over affluent blacks, representing what forms abuse of police power can take. In another scene he's depicted as the loving son fighting with an HMO over his ailing father's health care, but unable to suppress his racism when he needs to be diplomatic. In a later scenario Dillon emerges as a hero and it seems that the filmmakers are trying to say, "See, even bad people have some goodness in their hearts."

Late in the film, after being pulled into the world of these characters, the plot relies on coincidences that are difficult to accept. Furthermore, some characters begin to act and react to things in unbelievable ways. Maybe the filmmakers expect the audience to accept that people do the unexplainable at times, but here the characters' actions just don't ring true.

"Crash" presents convincing depictions of the conversations that go on behind closed doors at city hall, interracial relationships and the difficulties of fighting bureaucracies. Disappointingly though, loose ends and inconsistency turn a promising movie into a letdown.

In the end, "Crash" is a "would've, should've, could've been."

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