THE APOSTLE
A film review by Frank Ochieng
starring: Robert Duvall, John Beasley, Farrah Fawcett, June Carter, Billy Bob Thornton, Miranda Richardson Director: Robert Duvall
Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall has directed, produced, and wrote what very well may be the most intensifying, gut-wrenching, powerful and complexed movies that has hit the big screen in ages in that of THE APOSTLE, a poignant and perplexing portrayal of a man who finds solace with God despite his own questionable weakness and peace of mind. This riveting examination of an evangelical preacher Euliss "Sonny" Dewey asks some bold questions about this tremendously flawed human being: can a man who is supposed to represent the Almighty also tackle his own demons?
Duvall does an incredible job at introducing us to this paradoxical preacher--a man who consistently battles his instincts, sexual urges, convictions, and anger. Preacher Dewey is a problematic yet passionate pariah who needs guidance but is willing to smother this feeling and become a representative of God, therefore avoiding a cataclysmic conflict within his own personal pain. A brilliant turn that has landed Duvall his 1997 best actor National Society of Film Critics credentials. And thank goodness Duvall and his movie can qualify for Academy Award consideration for this year because this film definitely deserves the recognition of being considered one of the best offerings to potentially be honored.
Duvall's Preacher Dewey is a lovable soul but his human heart becomes congested when rage takes over after he discovers his wife (Farrah Fawcett) and her young lover "in cahoots" with one another. Disgruntled by the whole affair, Dewey--with the help of a baseball bat and blatant jealousy, lands his wife's boy-toy in a serious coma. With this act, Preacher Dewey has no choice but to move on and discover an odyssey of peace and serenity that will compensate his desirous and disastrous demons. Coming across a new path of sorts, Sonny Dewey deems himself "The Apostle" and eventually teams up with a black preacher (John Beasley) to help collaborate on building a new church called "The One Way Road To Heaven". Now, The Apostle has mostly black churchgoers who follow him and is eventually caught up in the gospel high-spirited soul of these folks' religious rituals. He actually cares and relishes his black congregation to the point that he even challenges the racist antics of a passerby (Billy Bob Thornton). The Apostle even has moments of wooing a separated married woman (Miranda Richardson) and has no moral qualms about satisfying that pleasure either.
This film doesn't ask for sympathy for its complicated protagonist in that of Sonny Dewey, a.k.a The Apostle, because it's a much better movie than that. Instead, this film reinforces the notion that man's consciousness is his own guidance and that he has the power to choose what to do with it. Whether his intentions are disguised to suit his soul or give credence to his ambiguous actions, the courage for man to live and confront his moral code and human decency is extensively demonstrated in this magnificent movie. What Robert Duvall accomplished with THE APOSTLE is a brimstone of bravura that will certainly show just how significant a breakthrough this film really is! THE APOSTLE is an opulent, natural high!
Frank rates this film: ****stars
Frank Ochieng
QNFR98A@prodigy.com
Copyright 1998 Frank
Ochieng
http://www.vgt.com/atmovies.html
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