FBMR - The Passion Of The Christ
Film-Buff Movie Reviews


THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST (2004) ***1/2

WOW! What an intense film! I was emotionally drained, and tired after watching this film, it’s very heavy and very moving. Although I didn't agree with everything depicted, as is the case with any "Jesus" movie I've seen, it was very well made. I can’t say that I believe everything in this movie to be truth, I felt there was a fair amount of artistic license … but then again, what film doesn’t?

This movie is not a bio-pic about the life of Jesus, it is not a movie that showcases all the good things He did and said; it assumes that we know what kind of man He was. This film follows Jesus in the last twelve hours of his life leading up to His crucifixion and subsequent resurrection.

The acting was incredible. Not only did these actors have to learn and wrap their mouths around two dead languages (Aramaic and Latin), as well as Hebrew, but they managed to speak to each other using their eyes. Director, Mel Gibson, originally didn’t want to include subtitles, he wanted the film to transcend language. And although I was thankful for the subtitles, the actors did a brilliant job communicating and emoting simply with their eyes.

The brutality, both physical and verbal, is extremely graphic and hyper-realistic. The make-up and special effects teams did remarkable work in making the scourging and crucifixion looks real. It was all very shocking, not only because it was happening to Jesus, but to think that this was probably not an isolated incident, that criminals in the time of the Roman Empire also could have gone through similar brutality. What made is all the more difficult to watch was that Jesus wasn’t a criminal, and the pain and suffering He bore, He bore for all people. Now whether you believe that Jesus is the Son of God or not, you can’t argue the selflessness of His actions. And whether you believe that Jesus is the Son of God or not, you can’t argue the great filmmaking. Very well done.