Paul, Apostle of Christ

There has been a slew of Christian films released in late 2017 and early 2018. I like it. As you probably know, I am a film buff. Anyone who spends much time at the theater knows that there is more tripe released each week than solid cinema. The same holds true for the Christian films, although I have to admit that the recent releases have been far superior to traditional Christian Films. It seems the genre has broken through to create high quality films that pass the test of good cinematography.

Paul, Apostle of Christ recounts the story of Paul as recounted by his disciple, Luke. It is a fictional story rooted in the New Testament books written by Luke. Luke (Jim Caviezel) arrives in Rome during a period of severe persecution of the Christians. Paul (James Faulkner) is in prison in Rome, under the watch of Roman Prefect Mauritius (Oliver Martinez). The church in Rome is fractured, suffering the pains of relentless persecution. Nero lights his streets with Roman candles (human torches) and entertains the masses with his circus, where Christians are ripped to shreds by wild animals. Some of the young men want to fight back, some of the Christians want to flee to Ephesus, and some feel they should remain to serve as a light in the darkness.

Paul has spent his life planting churches throughout the empire. The churches seek instruction. Luke bribes a guard in order to meet with Paul so he can prepare letters to the churches. The letters recount Paul's life, to include the thorn in his flesh mentioned in his letter to the Corinthians. The film interprets this thorn as Paul's struggles recounting the persecution he engaged in prior to his conversion, although other interpretations are more commonly held. In this case, it is an important part of the story, worked into a broader tale of redemption that gives the film purpose.

Early church leaders confirmed Luke as the author of several books of the New Testament. Luke was a physician and disciple of Paul. It would be reasonable that an educated man who was a disciple of Paul's would have been the one to record letters and historical details. While disputed, it is widely held as fact. Paul, Apostle of Christ does not pretend to be Biblically accurate as much as Biblically sound. The story creates an interesting narrative, with Paul's own words worked into the dialogue with skillful precision. While the film creates a fictional narrative, it is placed in a broader context that sheds light on the stark realities of the early church. The dialogue was excellent, although difficult to hear at times. The story had a rewarding conclusion that provided a nice contrast to the brutality of Paul's last days. Aside from sluggish pacing throughout the film, the story was excellent.

Jim Caviezel may be best known for his portrayal of Jesus in the brutal film Passion of the Christ. His performance as Luke was less violent, but equally rendered. The film centered more on Luke, than Paul, although it was a recounting of Paul's life. The story is delivered through Luke. Both roles carried equal weight to me, although Paul is the title role. James Faulkner was flawless as Paul. He was measured, deep, tormented, patient and wise. Faulkner was a memorable Paul. Perfect in his imperfection. Martinez was solid as Maritius, John Lynch was an interesting Aquilla, but I most liked Joanne Whalley as Priscilla (among the rest of the cast). The casting for Paul was well done.

Paul, Apostle of Christ received a PG-13 rating from the MPAA. There were scenes that included torture, death and human immolation. There was talk about being torn apart by wild animals, flogging and stoning to death. There were a few mildly bloody scenes, but nothing to excess. This film is probably good for all ages, with a caution toward children prone to nightmares. It was not excessive or gratuitous in its violence, particularly given the historic record on the matter. The film has a one hour, 47 minute run time. It felt a bit longer than that due to pacing issues. With a five million dollar budget, this film had superior production quality to Christian Films of the past. The larger budgets of recent films are paying off at the box office it seems. Paul has already recovered most of that money on opening weekend. It is sure to make the studio a bit of profit.

I enjoyed this film. It dragged at times, which I wish weren't the case. Better pacing may have placed this film among the elite ranks of the genre. It had great casting, and interesting story line, solid dialogue that drew directly from Paul's own words and had an authentic look. As a period piece, it succeeded in creating the intended illusion. Five million dollars is not much money by today's standards, but it appeared to be enough to create the intended cinematic illusion while delivering a worthwhile story drawn directly from biblical accounts. The broader story was embellished artistically, but those changes were not biblically unsound. The message was consistent with the biblical accounts. I would recommend seeing this film at the theater. It was better than quite a few films I have seen at the theater that could have waited for video. 7.5/10.

Trailer and photos copyright material of Affirm Films.