Release Date: February 25, 2004
Studio: Newmarket Films
Director: Mel Gibson
Screenwriter: Ben Fitzgerald, Mel Gibson
Starring: James Caviezel, Monica Bellucci, Maia Morgenstern, Francesco Cabras, Rosalinda Celentano, Claudia Gerini, Ivano Marescotti, Matt Patresi, Sergio Rubini
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: R (for graphic violence)
Official Website: ThePassionofTheChrist.com

Plot Summary: "The Passion of The Christ" is a film about the last twelve hours of Jesus of Nazareth's life. The film opens in the Garden of Olives (Gethsemane) where Jesus has gone to pray after the Last Supper. Jesus resists Satan's temptations. Betrayed by Judas Inscariot, Jesus is arrested and taken back to within the city walls of Jerusalem where the leaders of the Pharisees confront him with accusations of blasphemy and his trial results in a condemnation to death. Jesus is brought before Pilate, the Roman Governor of Palestine, who listens to the accusations leveled at him by the Pharisees. Realizing he is confronting a political conflict, Pilate defers to King Herod in the matter. Herod returns Jesus to Pilate who gives the crowd a choice between Jesus and the criminal Barabbas. The crowd chooses to have Barabbas set free and condemn Jesus. Jesus is handed over to the Roman soldiers and flagellated. Unrecognizable now, he is brough back before Pilate, who presents him to the crowd as if to say "is this not enough?" It is not. Pilate washes his hands of the entire dilemma, ordering his men to do as the crowd wishes. Jesus is presented with the cross and is ordered to carry it through the streets of Jerusalem all the way up to Golgotha. On Golgotha, Jesus is nailed to the cross and undergoes his last temptation - the fear that he has been abandoned by his Father. He overcomes this fear, looks at Mary, his Holy Mother, and makes the pronouncement which only she can fully understand, "it is accomplished." He then dies: "into Thy hands I commend my Spirit." At the moment of death, nature itself overturns.

Reviewed by Peter Veugelaers © 2004
- Better than a cheese royale: buy one while its hot

Jesus is probably one of the hardest historical figures to film properly. Even biblical scholars don’t have a lot to go on. The closest manuscripts to the life of Jesus are the gospels which outline the narrative of his teaching ministry, and death and resurrection. There is not much in regard to an explicit personality, psychological profile or characteristics when one reads the gospel narrative.

Filmmakers have endeavoured to capture this enigmatic man on celluloid since the silent era of film and each time the depiction of the Christ is bound to be limited because although the essence of Jesus’ words and mission is always strong, his personal profile (not presence) is not. In effect a viewer is drawn emotionally into his suffering and teaching, but not into characteristics that reveal what he is like in normal everyday situations - how he said things, his behaviour and mannerisms around people, what else he said in conversation apart from what is recorded down in the gospels. As a result we can get a Jesus who is messianic but that potentially remains distant, who doesn’t speak and do things ordinary movie goers can identify with or relate to.

This is what director Martin Scorcese tried to uncover in The Last Temptation of Christ, showing a Christ struggling with his call, a movie which has an entirely contrary point of view theologically to The Passion of the Christ. Like Scorcese though, Mel Gibson is working out his demons by making a film about the arrest, trial, flogging and crucifixion of Jesus Christ in Roman occupied Palestine.

Co-writer and Director Gibson interprets the base material to create a Jesus played by Jim Caviezel that is anguished and tormented in an unrelenting portrayal of Roman crucifixion which doesn’t hold back any punches. Jesus is the Son of God in this movie version. There is no doubt as in The Last Temptation of Christ. Gibson believes and his use of the medium is telling about the homage he is producing here.

Other films about Jesus have showcased his messianic quality, this one could be criticised for being self-indulgent: this passion of Christ is either Gibson’s expression of love for God or an over excess of theatrics. The truth probably crosses both points.

From the beginning of the film when Jesus is in Gethsemene the tone is set for the next two hours. Filmed in cloudy claustrophobic hues Jesus is agonising over God’s will, an obedience which will lead him to the cross. Caviezel’s facial expressions elevate the intensity of the moment that he will be betrayed and die in excruciating torture.

So begins a mixed bag of results, sometimes it’s poignant and meaningful but in several places the effect is overdone with some showy slow motion camera movements intended to enhance the significance of Mel’s greatest story ever told. Flashbacks to the ministry of Jesus are used with not much impact, more like inserts of pieces of Jesus’ sayings rather than contributing to a cohesive and comprehensible narrative. However, Latin, albeit unhistorical, and Aramaic spoken dialogue adds flavour (appropriately subtitled in English), and space has been made to digress from a verbatim retelling of the gospel in the aid of drama, albeit minimally effective but with some memorable moments.

The brutish Roman guards make the scourging seem realistic, and the scene eventually climaxes in an emotional crescendo. Judas, a sensitive Pilate, and Jesus’ mother, Mary, are sympathetically drawn maybe because they’re characters who are more like us as human beings. The relationship between Mary and Jesus is prominently sketched, an addition in the film that smacks of Gibson’s Catholic heritage and that is moving.

This is Gibson’s religious meditation and one thing he does get right is the sense of time around the events, a hubbub of change and intrigue. With all this seemingly unnecessary terror, you can see why Scorcese asked the question in Last Temptation, what if Jesus had lived a normal life, the easy way out, the way we all would like to go. This is the temptation Satan offers Jesus at the start of the film. Gibson gives us instead the literal gospel record: the higher call and responsibility Jesus enacted to take on the burden of humanity’s rot. That’s the supernatural and theological substance Gibson doesn’t elaborate on too much, but the general impression he wants to convey – Christ forgiving sinners - is clear in spite of murky details.