While every filmmaker wants to reach a large audience, the actual effect will usually boil down to an individual experience. So it is with "The Passion of the Christ". Notice how Jesus makes an impression on individuals throughout the movie. His mother Mary; Satan; His disciples John, Peter, and Judas; Mary Magdalen; Pontius Pilate, his wife, lieutenant Abenader; the High Priest Caiphas; Simon of Cyrene; and the unnamed soldiers who crucify Him. I make no judgment on the reaction of others, how I see it is what remains with me. I am a Born-Again Christian, and therefore a movie that concerns the act that forms the foundation of my beliefs will effect me differently than an atheist who challenges it, a skeptic who questions it, a movie critic who analyzes it, or even another Christian who has seen it. But why I value this film is because of how Mel Gibson portrays it, not simply because it is about Jesus Christ. I've seen other movies about or with Jesus in them, but none where nearly every scene has effected me deeply. I credit Gibson and his team for making this happen. This should stand as his masterpiece, and the career performances for much of the cast. The standouts are Caviezel's Christ of course, but also the commanding presence of Hristo Shopov as Pilate, Rosalindo Celenato's haunting Satan, and Pietro Sarubbi's manic Barabbas. This film is just too powerful and well done to be missed. See it and draw your own conclusions. For me, it will never make my Top Ten list because it exists outside of entertainment value. But there was no reason it could not have won Academy Awards in several categories had it been nominated.
Review of The Passion of the Christ
