One Of The Most Profound Dialogues In Cinema | Kingdom Of Heaven

There is one particular scene that is now my favourite part of the film. There are no battle scenes, nor sword fights, nor any kind of action here - just a deep dialogue between a man and a king. It was the scene where Balian, the protagonist, meets King Baldwin for the first time - and it is one of the most profound scenes I have ever watched.
Let me explain why.

[@GOODJMR]

The fact King Baldwin is played by Edward "frikin" Norton still blows me away. Underrated performance ❤

[@johnplaydown1975]

Me too. His acting was superb in that movie. Even if he was masked, you can still see all the emotions he conveys.

[@exaltedpinecone1135]

You said 'theological justifications', but what did he justify with theology, specifically? All he said was that he said was that he thought the belief that despite his condition in this world, in the next world he will face far worse, is unfair. This is just an opinion, not a justification for anything. He also mentioned the basic belief of God being the only ultimate authority that is worthy of worship, and he will call people to account, not other people, whether they be in power or otherwise. I think the only comment resembling justification is when he says to Balian that he should help people of the other religions, not because it is is advantageous but because it is right. Now this is most definitely a theological justification, he is using his religious belief to justify his statement or command. So I ask you again, what were you referring to when you said that the character was justifying with theology, and what was the justification itself?
I could also see you referring to the authority statements be to justified with theology, because he is technically giving advice to Balian, telling him to rely on his own self not to be swayed and influenced by people of power, justifying this with the belief that God will hold all people to account.

[@johnplaydown1975]

Thank you for your comment! What I was referring to with that phrase were the things that King Baldwin said about Balian - the one on your second paragraph - where he said that he cannot stand before God explaining many reasons as to why he did what he had to do, virtuous or not - because God will judge everyone equally.
Maybe I should have worded that phrase better though!

[@nocapbussin]

I liked this movie until I knew the historical inaccuracies like making the Templars unhinged fanatics that just wanted war and the Hospitalars were peace-loving wise men. It was actually the Templars who brokered peace between Islam, The Christians, and the Jews and it wasn't until the Templars were removed from keeping that peace that the French nobility started causing problems.
Other than that it was a very well done movie. I just wish it wasn't so ridiculously slanted against the Templars, but it seems that there is political reasons for that in Hollywood. The game series Assassins Creed also has the Templars as the villains.

[@johnplaydown1975]

I knew there were some historical inaccuracies but I didn't know it was that bad! You also have a point about Assassin's Creed.
Thanks for your comment. I agree that it is a good movie. There are definitely reasons why Hollywood has done it that way.

[@Dylanshreds1]

While it's true that the idea of the Knights Templar as conspiratorial, manipulative, ruthless, brutal zealots is a fabrication created mainly by King Philip IV and Pope Clement V of France to justify their disbandment and siezure of their assets; it is a pretty serious distortion to call them peacekeepers.
They were a religious, military, and financial institution that primarily concerned themselves with guarding pilgrim routes, protecting Christian holdings, and engaging in military campaigns against Muslims forces. They also acted as bankers and financiers, managing wealth and providing loans to European nobles and kings. Their presence helped stabilize this region to some extent, though conflicts and tensions were still prevalent throughout the Crusader period.
However, the Templars' role in maintaining peace was often within the context of advancing Christian interests and defending against Muslim expansion rather than fostering harmonious relations between diverse religious communities. They were primarily a military order with a mission to protect Christian lands and people in the East, which sometimes led to confrontations rather than peacekeeping as we might understand it today.