Director Ridley Scott and writer William Monahan have managed to put a positive spin on that tragic swath of history in an epic entertainment that seeks and actually finds honor, romance and spiritual redemption amid the slaughter. Brilliantly cast and produced -- hallmarks of Ridley Scott films -- "Kingdom" fulfills the requirements of grand-scale moviemaking while serving as a timely reminder that in the conflict between Christianity and Islam it was the Christians who picked the first fight. Boxoffice response should be solid domestically with even greater ticket sales coming from overseas.

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