'Risen': Procedural on how Jesus' body disappears from the tomb
Here's a question for the ages: Can fimmakers produce a truly original film about Jesus?
Mel Gibson's extraordinary The Passion of the Christ is the rare exception that proves the rule - most films in that crowded genre are tired, derivative affairs.
It's all the more reason to celebrate Risen, a modestly budgeted drama set in the days following Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection.
A faith-based Christian film co-written and directed by Kevin Reynolds (Tristan & Isolde, Hatfields & McCoys), Risen is an innovative narrative that tells Jesus' story from the point of view of a most unusual character, a fictional Roman official named Clavius who helped execute Jesus in the first place.
Portrayed by Joseph Fiennes as a charismatic, intensely intelligent army officer, Clavius and his assistant (Harry Potter's Tom Felten) are asked by Pontius Pilate (MI5's Peter Firth) to find out how Jesus' body disappeared from his tomb.
Slowly, the Roman wakes up to the truth of what Jesus' followers preach.
Risen, which features Cliff Curtis (Training Day) as Jesus, plays like a clever procedural. While it descends too often into the melodramatic, it's a solid, smart picture and a welcome addition to the genre.
Mel Gibson's extraordinary The Passion of the Christ is the rare exception that proves the rule - most films in that crowded genre are tired, derivative affairs.
It's all the more reason to celebrate Risen, a modestly budgeted drama set in the days following Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection.
A faith-based Christian film co-written and directed by Kevin Reynolds (Tristan & Isolde, Hatfields & McCoys), Risen is an innovative narrative that tells Jesus' story from the point of view of a most unusual character, a fictional Roman official named Clavius who helped execute Jesus in the first place.
Portrayed by Joseph Fiennes as a charismatic, intensely intelligent army officer, Clavius and his assistant (Harry Potter's Tom Felten) are asked by Pontius Pilate (MI5's Peter Firth) to find out how Jesus' body disappeared from his tomb.
Slowly, the Roman wakes up to the truth of what Jesus' followers preach.
Risen, which features Cliff Curtis (Training Day) as Jesus, plays like a clever procedural. While it descends too often into the melodramatic, it's a solid, smart picture and a welcome addition to the genre.