THE APOSTLE (1997)
Rating: 3 stars (out of 4.0) ******************************** Key to rating system: 2.0 stars - Debatable 2.5 stars - Some people may like it 3.0 stars - I liked it 3.5 stars - I am biased in favor of the movie 4.0 stars - I felt the movie's impact personally or it stood out ********************************* A Movie Review by David Sunga
Directed by: Robert Duvall
Written by: Robert Duvall
Starring: Robert Duvall, Farrah Fawcett, John Beasley, Miranda Richardson
Ingredients: Down-on-his-luck evangelist, church
Synopsis: Sonny Dewey (Robert Duvall) is a tireless Texas Pentecostal preacher who unexpectedly catches his wife (Farrah Fawcett) in bed with another guy. In a regrettable crime of passion he takes a baseball bat to the guy's head, and suddenly finds himself a fugitive for murder, and estranged from his wife and two kids. To atone for his sins, Sonny flees to a rural bayou town in Louisiana and baptizes himself as a new creature - - the Apostle E.F. As the Apostle E.F. Sonny's main mission is to revive an abandoned church community and preach the gospel at the local radio station. Soon he sets about resurrecting the One Way Road to Heaven Holiness Temple. But Sonny knows his time is short; one day the police will find him.
Opinion: This movie is a thought-provoking look at an evangelist in real life terms. I believe that Robert Duvall (who is the producer, director, writer, and main star of THE APOSTLE) deserves an Oscar for his performance as Sonny the religious crusader - - a performance which is so complex and realistic it ranks as one of the finest acting performances on film. Duvall's portrayal of a true believer is authentic, superb, and inspired; it offers the audience a completely honest look at Southern religion, as well as a portrait of a fallible, complicated man driven by his beliefs.
Incidentally, in real life Duvall was just as 'driven' in getting the project underway. Since no major Hollywood studio wanted to risk financing a complex movie about an evangelist, THE APOSTLE as a project lay dormant for almost 13 years before Duvall was able to get it done, paying for its production with his own money (about five million dollars).
In terms of hard-hitting realism and character portrayal THE APOSTLE would rank as one of the best movies of this decade, and I emphatically recommend THE APOSTLE for connoisseurs of stage and fine acting on film. Similarly, those with a steep background in Pentecostal Christianity would find THE APOSTLE a thought-provoking experience.
On the other hand, THE APOSTLE's main strength - - Duvall's preaching - - is also what limits THE APOSTLE's target audience. In terms of plot and pure entertainment value, THE APOSTLE is definitely not for everyone. Teenagers, action fans, comedy fans, and people who find church completely boring should stay far away from this movie, since three quarters of the film is watching Sonny preach at church. In other words, THE APOSTLE is a four star performance, but with a very limited audience.
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