I am Kyle's self-indulgence

Warning: I sat down to write a review of this film, but I ended up with a critical analysis that exposes most of the plot. While there aren't any extremely surprising plot twists in this story, I recommend that you don't read what I have to say unless you're not afraid of having the movie spoiled for you. You've been warned.

Follow up:

Sometimes, in order to criticize current events, writers and filmmakers must do so indirectly, through allegory and historical parallels. Arthur Miller was able to express his outrage over the McCarthy hearings by depicting similar events in the 17th century, in his play The Crucible. Two decades later, when it was still controversial to criticize the Vietnam War, film directors made subtle anti-war statements through Western, Horror, and other genres of film.

I believe Kingdom of Heaven does the same with our current war. Obviously, on the surface, it is about the historical war between Christians and Muslims in Jerusalem. Were this film only concerned with events from that period in history, it would still have some relevance for the present, by shedding light on some of the reasons for the tension we still live with today. But I don't believe Kingdom of Heaven is really about the Crusades. I see in it a very strong allegory for what is happening in the world right now.

When Orlando Bloom's character Balian arrives in Jerusalem, he finds it is ruled by a Christian king who keeps a fragile truce with the commander of the Muslim army. The king relies on diplomacy to keep the peace in Jerusalem. As everyone expects, the sickly king dies and is replaced by a fool-hardy, war-mongering man who immediately charges into battle against the enemy. There are a few detractors who suggest that this plan of attack is unnecessary and will certainly fail. The new king plunges ahead, though, claiming God is on his side, and the people follow. If you've been watching the news for the past five years, the parallels should be obvious.

Kingdom of Heaven doesn't operate purely on allegory, though, and it can be appreciated on many levels. For much of the film, Balian seems to simply drift through life without much control over his fate. He is given the title and property of a father he never knew, and is thrown into a conflict he has no interest in. One could also say that the rest of the film's characters are in a similar state. At the climax of the movie, Balian tells the Christians in Jerusalem:

"None of us took this city from Muslims. No Muslim of the great army now coming against us was born when this city was lost. We fight over an offence we did not give, against those who were not alive to be offended."

It is frustrating at times to watch a movie in which the characters are so out of control of their own destiny, but this is the ultimate message. It is a powerful criticism of our current war and of war in general. All soldiers are fighting other people's battles over disagreements they have nothing to do with. For those who feel trapped in a conflict beyond themselves, the answer is to simply remove onself from the conflict. After Jerusalem has been defeated, the queen is afraid of being taken as the Sultan's bride. Balian's answer: stop being queen. Balian himself decides to stop fighting, and refuses to join the Crusade the next time he is called upon. By simply refusing to participate in the war, these two characters take control of their lives for the first time in the film.