The Passion of the Christ (2004) - Gibson's breathtaking, fierce religious masterpiece

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An intense, gory profile picture of Jesus Christ with the crown of thorns in earthy tones makes up this poster for Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ

Jesus' last 12 hours are presented with a relentless focus on his sufferings and the human crime in his torture and crucifixion, which He went through for our salvation.

 

The Passion of the Christ is written by Benedict Fitzgerald (Zelda (1993, TV movie)) and New-Yorker master filmmaker, co-writer/co-producer/director Mel Gibson (The Man Without a Face (1993)), whose 3rd film it is.

For the first time ever here is a feature film that gives the opportunity of following the painful and cleansing last hours of the Christ on Earth, with auspicious flashbacks to to His teachings. 

In extraordinary images (cinematography by Caleb Deschanel (Killer Joe (2012))) and with a grand score (by John Debney (I Still Believe (2020))), this is an uncompromising and incredible accomplishment. Gibson establishes himself as a master behind the camera here. Jim Caviezel (Transit (2012)) is outstanding as Jesus. The film is a triumph.

 

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Mel Gibson: 2016 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2016 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2016 in films - according to Film Excess

Hacksaw Ridge (2016) - Gibson's intense, humbling WWII epic 

The Expendables 3 (2014) - Unique, bizarre, largely entertaining third action fireball (co-star)

Get the Gringo/How I Spent My Summer Vacation (2012) - Mexico is just a little merrier with Mel Gibson (co-producer/co-writer/star)

The Beaver (2011) - Odd depression-dramedy with great stars - for the open-minded (co-star) 

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Top 10: The best action movies and TV-series reviewed by Film Excess to date

Top 10: The best big hit movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 

Apocalypto (2006) - or, Journey to an Extinct World  

Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) - Pretty good last show for Donner's buddy-cop franchise (co-star) 

Hamlet (1990) - Stars shine in Zeffirelli's compelling adaptation (co-star)

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 30 mil. 

Box office: 612 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 20.4 times its cost)

[The Passion of the Christ was released 25 February (North America, New Zealand, Australia) and runs 127 minutes. The script is based on the Old and the New Testament, with inspiration from Anne Catherine Emmerich's The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ (1833), which recounts Emmerich's mystical visions of the Passion of Christ. Gibson did not find support for the film at the big Hollywood studios and consequently decided to self-finance it. Shooting took place from November 2002 - January 2003 in Italy, including in Rome. Caviezel suffered a shoulder separation during filming (in a shot which is reportedly in the film) and was struck by lightning at another point; assistant director Jan Michelini was allegedly struck twice by lightning during shooting. The film is considered to be highly faithful to the facts as laid out in the New Testament. With the film finished, Gibson could also not entice traditional big studios to distribute it, as they feared backlash over its alleged antisemitism. Gibson reportedly spent another 15 mil. $ to market and release it himself, screening it for many Christian groups and leaders who embraced it. The film then opened #1 to an 83.8 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 3 weekends at #1 (one a few weeks later at Easter), and another 3 in the top 5 (#2-#3-#5), grossing 370.2 mil. $ (60.5 % of the total gross), selling an estimated 59.6 mil. tickets in the US alone. It is the highest-grossing R-rated, Christian and independent film to date, and the 5th highest-grossing film of the year worldwide. Its 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Italy with 23.9 mil. $ (3.9 %) and the UK with 20.4 mil. $ (3.3 %). The film was nominated for 3 Oscars, winning none: It lost Best Cinematography to Robert Richardson for The Aviator, Score to Jan A.P. Kaczmarek for Finding Neverland and Makeup to A Series of Unfortunate Events. It won a National Board of Review award, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. The film was banned in some countries and heavily plagued by accusations of antisemitism, which became worse when Gibson in a 2006 DUI incident was videotaped saying to the responding California officer: "Fucking Jews... the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world. Are you a Jew?". The film was never shown in Israel. Gibson and Caviezel are nearing production on a sequel centered on the resurrection of Christ with shooting reportedly set to begin in Autumn 2023. Gibson returned with Complete Savages (2004, TV-series) and theatrically with Apocalypto (2006). Caviezel returned in Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004). The Passion of the Christ is rotten at 49 % with a 6/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Passion of the Christ?

High Crimes (2002) - Unremarkable paranoia military thriller

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The two big stars stand weirdly close together on this questionable poster for Carl Franklin's High Crimes

Claire is a successful young attorney, but when her military husband is accused of a mass murder in El Salvador, she is forced to consider the possibility that she might be living with a homicidal liar.

 

High Crimes is written by Yuri Zeltser (The Circle (2005)) and Grace Cary Bickley (The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag (1992)), adapting the same-titled 1998 novel by Joesph Finder (The Zero Hour (1996)), and directed by Carl Franklin (Nowhere to Run (1989)).

High-polished, formulaic Hollywood fare here, which lives especially due to its stars; mainly the sympathetic Ashley Judd (Divergent (2014)); Morgan Freeman (The Comeback Trail (2020)) is highly convincing as a drunk and Jim Caviezel (Transit (2012)) as the dubious husband.

The film in its best sequences instills the feeling in the audience of mistrusting a very cynical liar in one's closest surroundings. High Crimes is superficial but entertaining.

 

Related post:

 

Carl Franklin: House of Cards - season 2 (2014, VoD) - More ruthless power plays from Willimon and Co. 

 

 

Watch a 3-minute clip from the film here

 

Cost: 42 mil. $

Box office: 63.7 mil. $

= Big flop (returned 1.51 times its cost)

[High Crimes premiered 3 April (USA) and runs 115 minutes. Shooting took place from November 2000 - March 2001 in Mexico and California, including in San Francisco. The film opened #2, behind holdover hit Panic Room, to a 14 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it left the top 5 in its 2nd weekend and grossed 41.5 mil. $ (65.1 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Spain with 4.5 mil. $ (7 %) and Mexico with 2 mil. $ (3.1 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. Franklin returned with Out of Time (2003). Judd returned in Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002); Freeman in The Sum of All Fears (2002). High Crimes is rotten at 30 % with a 5.0/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of High Crimes?

The Final Cut (2004) or, Alan 'the Cutter' Hakman

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Robin Williams looks lost and uncomfortable on this inauspicious poster for Omar Naim's The Final Cut

In a future where devices record people's entire lives, Alan is a 'cutter' whose job it is to make uncritical edits of deceased people's lives. But his new, unsavory client gets him into danger.

A team of talented people are involved in this little-seen b-movie. Robin Williams (What Dreams May Come True (1998)) is good in the lead, and the set design, photography (by Tak Fujimoto (Gods Behaving Badly (2013))) and score (by Brian Tyler (Brake (2012))) are all professionally done.
The idea behind The Final Cut is interesting, but unfortunately it results in a rather banal story here. The film is written and directed by Omar Naim (When Simon Sleeps (1999)). It comes off as a somewhat sexless sci-fi thriller, which attempts to raise some issues that it can't quite handle persuasively in the end.

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: Unknown
Box office: 3.6 mil. $
= Uncertain - but likely a huge flop
[The Final Cut premiered 11 September (Berlin International Film Festival) and runs 95 minutes. Shooting took place in British Colombia, Canada and in Berlin, Germany from June - August 2003. The film opened and peaked at #27 to a weak 227k $ first weekend in 117 theaters in North America, where it grossed 548k $ (15.2 % of the total gross). The biggest market was Italy with 1.1 mil. $ (30.5 %). 2nd biggest was Spain with 586k $ (16.3 %). North America was the 3rd biggest. - If the film was made for a very modest 5 mil. $, it should be counted as a huge flop. - It could easily have been higher, in which case it may have actually been a mega-flop. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch better than this one. Williams returned in House of D (2004). Naim only returned six years hence as co-director of the PBS documentary Stand Up: Muslim-American Comics Come of Age (2009) and then theatrically with Dead Awake (2010). The Final Cut is rotten at 37 % with a 5.3 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Final Cut?