Originally posted by GCG
Fourthly, how does a Blacksmith, who doesn’t know his father from a sack of potatoes, become the protector of Jerusalem, aid to a leper king and protect the helpless? Actually, how does Godfrey even come to think that his blacksmith son could possibly be up to that task of doing it? Well apparently he must have really believed that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree unlike Marcus Aurelius who thought Commodus was a spoilt failure. Maximus was a general in the roman army and had all the fighting & leadership skills (up to a certain degree) to lead Rome. What a blacksmith could have had ….meh I dunno.
That's the biggest problem with KoH's story. They completely leave out the fact he was originally a mercenary siege engineer, which throws the story off. And then there's the fact Balian was actually old when the siege of Jerusalem happened. At least Gladiator doesn't have a real historical backdrop to screw over.
The book, IMO, is much better for KoH.
the extended director's cut dvd is much, much, much better than the theatrical release. it's too bad this release wasn't the one that made it into theaters, but all the content that was cut out makes the movie well over three hours long.
if anyone believes there's not enough character development in KOH they should really at the very least rent the extended version. The difference between the theatrical release and the extended verison are really vast. the film is far superior as a result, primarily for the character development.
there are also some additional action scenes, much more gore and blood, the addition of an entirely new and pivotal character that was not in the original movie, and a more expanded treatment of queen sybilla (eva green) and king baldwin (edward norton). highly recommended.