The Apostle (1997)
Seen on 13 February 1997 for $8.75 with Laura, Rob, and Michelle at the Loews Village VII
"The hardest soul to save was his own," claims the tagline to *The Apostle*, and it's true. Robert Duvall gives a towering performance as the charismatic, convinced, and calculating Euliss "Sonny" Dewey, also known as The Apostle E.F., accountable only to his Lord, Jesus Christ. Written, produced, and directed by Duvall, *The Apostle* is a bit of a legend in independent filmmaking. It's easy to see why. It's all about the deep conviction held by Pentecostal Christians in the Deep South; in many ways it's probably best for everyone, especially the audience, that Hollywood had little or nothing to do with it.
*The Apostle* opens with Sonny visiting a Pentecostal church in 1939 as a child. Fast-forwarding to today, to an auto accident, Sonny stops his car and goes to the victim, near death, to bring him a chance of salvation in Jesus Christ, regardless of the victim's faith. Sonny definitely has a personal relationship with God, but as a human being, he is flawed. Unlike many movies that always show preachers as hypocrites, Sonny is a man driven by true faith, and by his emotions. Just as he rushes to bring salvation to the unsaved, and to hug parishioners and tell him he loves them, he also just as quickly cracks the man who cuckolds him with a little league bat in front of his children, or beat up a racist man who wants to demolish a church that allows blacks to attend.
Without giving away too much, I can say that *The Apostle* is one of the most original and different movies I have ever seen. Duvall's performance dominates the film. As a gay non-observant Jew, it was fascinating to watch him bring faith to people, while still entertaining his more basic desires, and being very human. One of the high points of the movie is the confrontation between Duvall and Billy Bob Thornton. In an era of skepticism and harshness, it is interesting to see how people need something to believe it, and the people who bring belief to them. The subject matter is not approached in a judgmental way either, which makes it rather original. Religion and faith are commodities usually held up for ridicule in Hollywood, and hard to understand if you are not particularly observant.
There are a lot of good actors in *The Apostle* but Duvall pretty much overshadows them; but this is a necessary evil. *The Apostle* is all about one man's faith and charisma, and what it can do. Farah Fawcett plays Sonny's wife Jesse; Miranda Richardson is his newest love interest; June Carter Cash is Sonny's mother.
Mary Lynette Braxton, Jewell Jernigan, and Zelma Loyd are wonderful as The Apostle E.F.'s parishioners, and Walt Goggins gives a subtle performance as Sam.
More movie reviews by Seth Bookey, with graphics, can be found at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2679/kino.html
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