Controversial and bloody, this movie is nevertheless one of the best films produced about Jesus in several ways—as a work of cinema, as entertainment and as an expression of actual faith. There have been many professional movies about Christ made by people who really didn’t believe, and there have been many amateur movies about Christ made by fervent believers. Very rarely has both real faith and cinematic genius come together for any movie about Christ. This movie focuses what is traditionally known as “the passion,” those crucial hours before, during and after the crucifixion of Christ. No movie studio wanted to even get close to this project, so director and famed actor Mel Gibson had to put in $45 million of his own money to produce the film. The result is a gut-wrenching journey accompanying Jesus as He confronts the forces of darkness that are doing everything possible to keep His earth-saving sacrifice at the cross from happening. Lots of His blood flows in scenes that feel like over-exaggerated violence but that are historically accurate. A great movie for those who don’t believe, but an even greater movie for those who do.

Not For Kids
Aramaic with English sub-titles

Extras:

• A few people charged the movie with antisemitism. In regards to its treatment of the religious authorities of the time, the movie sticks close to the text of the New Testament. Its depiction of those authorities isn’t entirely negative though, featuring a Pharisee who protested against the injustice of Jesus’ trial.
• The movie is probably the strongest and most artistic expression of Christian faith ever recorded on film. But it wasn’t long after the release when Gibson himself ripped apart any personal testimony the film might have represented by going into a drunken, anti-Semitic rant during a traffic stop by a police officer. The scandal doesn’t negate the faith of the film or diminish its artistic value. Great works of art have been often made throughout history by people with questionable personal lives. On the flip side, the greatness and earnestness of the movie didn’t diminish the atrocity of Gibson’s antisemitism. He later apologized and underwent rehabilitation for alcoholism, but his career nevertheless went into a downward spiral from which it has yet to recover.
• The movie went on to make more than $600 million worldwide. It was then that a light bulb turned on in Hollywood and film producers realized that atheists and agnostics like them weren’t the only ones who went to the movies. More films have since then been produced with Christian themes or a Christian worldview. However, the coinciding of cinematic excellence and heart-felt Christian faith by moviemakers has yet to reoccur.