| Which is the better film? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Troy | Kingdom of Heaven | |
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Each is a historical epic centering around a conflict that results in the siege a sprawling and powerful city. (Troy/Jerusalem) A corrupt and conniving man of nobility (Agamemnon/Guy de Lusignan) whose chief ally is a brutish warlord played by Brendan Gleeson (Menelaus/Reynald of Châtillon) seeks to expand his power, causing bloodshed in that pursuit which ignites full scale war. Both films thematically being about the questionable if not ultimately trivial motivations for and excuses used to get people fighting in war and how important they really are. By the end the city loses its chief protector (Hector/Tiberias) before the final assault and the good king in the city (Priam/Baldwin IV) dies. A young protagonist portrayed by Orlando Bloom (Paris/Balian) who had been involved in a love affair with a queen (Helen/Sibylla) who was trapped in a marriage with one of the villains steps up to the challenge during the climax to try and save lives in the face of great danger in spite of having the opportunity to escape earlier. Ultimately the invading force (The Greeks/The Saracens) manages to overtake the city. But a great many of its inhabitants do wind up managing to leave in exile.