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Excellent review in the AJC today, gives the film a B+ (a darn good rating from the AJC...A is hard to obtain). Unfortunately, I cannot access ajc.com this morning so I cannot link it (coincidence?). However, the review has convinced me that I will not watch the film. Well, maybe on DVD some day, but not at the theaters.
The reviewer thought that the movie was brilliantly done, but, as all other reviewers have said, finds the violence unbelievably brutal. The part that bothers me most is his reference to "Gibson's brief but potent coda, a snippet of the resurrection."
So here's my problem with the film. I don't need to see the brutality of the crucifixion. In my own imagination, the crucifixion is unspeakably brutal and I really don't need to see a protrayal that is even worse. Further, if the resurrection is just a brief addendum to the film, then I've lost all interest. The basis of Christianity is the resurrection. For all of Christ's great teachings, miracles, and suffering, it is all meaningless without the resurrection.
I commend Gibson's message and determination, but I think I'll skip the film. Here are the highlights of the AJC description of the violence:
The reviewer first says that, while you think you know what you are in store for, "You don't. This is a movie so singular, so intense, so overwhelming that it simply has to be experienced. And nothing can prepare you for how brutal, how shocking, how awash in blood and pain Gibson has made his version of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ."
Kloer then says that people from different backgrounds will likely have vastly different reactions to the film. Some will see a true protrayal of Christ's sufferings. "Others may feel that Gibson is so relentless that it feels as if his hand was on the back of your head, pressing your face into Christ's wounds and not letting up for two straight hours. Or both."
"Mediocre films do not generate such extreme reactions, and everyone should at least be able to agree that the artistry and the brilliant film making technique in 'the Passion' are undeniable."
"In a movie filled with nearly uwatchable torture and pain, the sequence that stands out is the scourging of Christ by sadistic Roman guards. It goes on and on, and you think it is over, and it begins again with even nastier implements of pain. Again you think it's over, and yet again it takes up with more flogging. The scene lasts 10 minutes and feels like an hour.
"Although it is not in the same league spiritually with other memorable violent movies like 'A Clockwork Orange,' 'The Wild Bunch,' or 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,' 'The Passion' is more violent than any mainstream movie. And because this was a real historical event, and a beloved figure, the violence feels even rougher.
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