Passion of the Christ, The  (2004)

Starring: James Caviezel, Monica Bellucci
Director: Mel Gibson

Rating: R

Studio: Newmarket Films

Release Date: 02.25.04

Review Posted: 03.03.04

Spoilers: None

By Craig Younkin

Mel Gibson's labor of love, The Passion of the Christ, chronicles the death of Jesus Christ, but what the audience could really use is more background on the way he lived.

Jesus of Nazareth (Jim Caviezel) is a carpenter who became known as the son of God, and led his disciples in the ways of love. His story begins in dark, creepy wood with a conversation between him and (not that the movie made any hint of this) the devil (Rosalinda Celentano). She mocks him, saying that no man can suffer the sins of the world, but of course he is up for the ultimate test.

He apparently knows that Roman soldiers are coming for him, tipped by one of his disciples, Judas (Luca Lionello). They grab him and take him back to the high priests, labeling him a blasphemer and wish for his immediate execution. They take him before Governor Pontius Pilate (Hristo Shopav), who is at first reluctant to pass any judgment because no matter what he chooses, it will anger someone. His final decision is to let Jesus suffer for his crimes, and so begins a long string of brutal punishment that involves whippings, people spitting at him, and hammering a crown of thorns to his head.

This movie has been the subject of controversy for a very long time now, with Jewish leaders pointing out that it is anti-Semitic and many others claiming it is way too violent. The film is extremely violent and serves as a sickening depiction of the Roman soldiers’ cruelty. The beatings and the insurmountable other afflictions they hand out are of the most graphic in nature, and I give Gibson credit for not shying away from that very horrific imagery.

Only the message of love in all of this is quite skewed. This movie is so wrapped up in its own violence that its message, “We should love our enemies," is replaced with the message, "Look at how awful those Roman soldiers are.” This is supposedly a celebration of Jesus' love, but Gibson makes Jesus into a terrible movie character as he barely gives him a scene where he celebrates life or love, and never gives actor Jim Caviezel any room for personal touches outside of bleeding profusely.

This is a very cold film, one that embraces violence over emotion – there is no power in that. If you’re not going to give us any kind of character depth into the kind of man Jesus was, then good luck trying to get an audience to feel for him. The character died for our sins, and the suffering portrayed with that should be compelling; when something is this slight, it is very hard to care.

Film Rating: ê1/2  (out of 4) | Grade: C-

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