The Passion of the Christ

The Passion of the Christ (2004)

DVD, Somerville, MA

February 18, 2007

**** / ****

When The Passion of the Christ was released in early 2004 it came to theaters with an enormous amount of baggage. Critics, protesters, and just about everyone else seemed to have an opinion even if they hadn’t seen it or ever would. In fact, at the time of its release it was hardly a movie so much as it was an event… and my interest was piqued. But alas, as the weeks ticked by and The Passion raked in the dough a funny thing happened: I never went to see the film. I wanted to but never did.

In hindsight, I think I was afraid of getting caught in the hype and feared being unable to give the movie an unbiased viewing. Hype, for better or worse, will do that for a viewer. But with three years now come and gone and detractors happily finding other incidents for which to hurl their hatred at Director Mel Gibson, I find myself now fully prepared to experience The Passion untethered and unswayed.

The story is one familiar to most: the tale of Christianity, and in particular, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As the story goes a mild-mannered carpenter and religious prophet living in Jerusalem is persecuted by Jewish clerics, tortured by Roman occupiers, and scorned by a bloodthirsty citizenry. Jesus, who claims to be the Son of God, is accused by local religious big wigs of blasphemy and hastily condemned to death, first being brutally tortured and then forced to carry an enormous wooden cross an arduous distance. When Jesus finally reaches the biggest hill in town he is nailed to the cross and left to expire before a blistering sun and broken congregation. On the third day after his death he miraculously rises from the dead leaving this earthly plane where he takes his place at the right hand of His Father, no less than God, himself. Thus begins 2000 years of one of the most widely spread and practiced religions in the world.

So now that I have seen it, what do I think of The Passion? I believe the film is one of the better movies in recent memory. Like Gibson’s exquisite Braveheart, there is much to admire in the cinematography, acting, score, and direction. The story is pretty basic and surely familiar to most whom see this, but the storytelling is precise and vision of purpose unmatched. There are those who will pick at this movie like a crow in a cornfield but I think they have missed Gibson’s point.

“Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.” This line, uttered by Jesus as he hangs near death during his crucifixion, is what The Passion is all about. Forget those who tell you the movie is merely an exercise in getting off by showing as much violence and gore as possible; that is merely a means to an end. Ignore critics who lash out because they feel the movie has anti-Semitic undertones (or is it overtones?); they have gone in looking to hate and as such fail to see the many shades of grey for which everyone involved is portrayed. Likewise shun those who focus on historical inaccuracy; this is a movie born of a 2000 year-old text whose context and accuracy have always been disputed. Instead, accept The Passion as the plight of one man who suffers the most torturous indignity and pain ever known yet miraculously forgives those who scorn, abuse, deny, and betray him even as he hangs from a cross waiting to die. This is the story Gibson is telling and he does a magnificent job.

Sure, the cackling silliness of Jesus’ tormentors is a bit over-the-top, as are a few other minor details, but if a movie is to be judged by how well it portrays the vision of its creator then The Passion is unequivocally a major success. A lot of movies have been made about Jesus’ life and death. The Passion is one of the best ever.

There are many reasons The Bible is often referred to as “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” Read the text, however, and you’ll likely be bored by its tedium. See The Passion of the Christ, with its precise execution and you might find yourself believing in its greatness whether or not you believe its creed. And that’s what the best movies are all about.

Additional Note: Mel Gibson, he of the pure machismo and drunken tirades, isn’t without a sense of humour. Did you know Jesus invented the modern table? Neither did I, but in The Passion you’ll see it with your own eyes. Pure genius!!!