The Apostle
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Movie Reviews of The Apostle
Movie Review: Praise Jesus, Duvall delivers on every front one of the most intriguing character studies in recent years...
Summary: 5 Stars
If ever there was a movie that relied so much on a single performance to reach greatness it is this movie. Seriously, `The Apostle' could have easily gone camp had Robert Duvall's performance been off key. Well we can all praise Jesus (ha) that Robert Duvall invested his heart and soul into this amazingly spirited performance. As Sonny he completely becomes absorbed into this man, into this role of his career and delivers a brilliantly controlled and emotionally fleshed out performance. This is coming from someone who has never really cared for Duvall and felt he was an overrated actor. It's funny because my best friend idolizes him and swears up and down he's the greatest actor ever and I just never saw it, until last night, and now I get it, or at least now I realize that when he's good he's pretty darn perfect.
In `The Apostle' we meet Sonny, a charismatic somewhat obsessive Texas preacher who has all but driven his wife away due to his philandering ways. We watch his life fall apart as his wife leaves him for another man, a youth minister, taking his children and eventually his church away from him. In a fit of rage Sonny attacks his wife's lover with a baseball bat sending him into a coma and forcing Sonny to leave town. Sonny winds up in Bayou Boutte, Louisiana, a small town that seems to soak up his eccentric style. Claiming that the lord sent him, Sonny dons the persona of The Apostle E.F. and starts to build his church from the ground up, enlisting the help of a former minister in the area. He begins to move forward with his life, corralling the community together for the lord's work, even going as far as to strike a relationship of sorts with a young woman in the town. His past though cannot stay buried forever and as the condition of his wife's lover worsens the intensity to find and charge Sonny increases.
The supporting players here are all at the very least decent, but no one is really given the limelight aside from Duvall. Farrah Fawcett does a fine job as Sonny's ex-wife and Billy Bob Thornton does an excellent job as a local troublemaker out to destroy Sonny's newfound church but neither of them is given more than a passing glance of screen time. June Carter Cash is deliciously effective as Sonny's ailing mother and she does more in her few minutes of time than the whole of the supporting cast put together. I was not as impressed with Miranda Richardson as critics appeared to have been, I felt she was a bit too childish in her performance, but then again maybe that's what she was going for. I didn't like it. John Beasley does a fine job as Blackwell, the minister who gives Sonny a helping hand, and Rick Dial and Walton Goggins are both well used as townsfolk immediately drawn to Sonny.
Really though, there is no actor here that deserves mention more than Robert Duvall. His performance is downright perfection. In fact, played any other way and this movie would have been a failure. It would have been so easy for a film like this to become nothing more than a laugh riot, especially when you're subject matter is that of the bible thumping extremists, but Duvall is so serious, so devoted and so convincing that he manages to keep with the dramatic tones of the film and deliver to us a well constructed and effortlessly mesmerizing portrayal. His performance won all kinds of critics awards and quite frankly should have won the Oscar. `The Apostle' was truly a labor of love for the actor who also wrote, directed and even financed the film himself when no studio would greenlight it. Sure he was reimbursed when the film took off but regardless, that shows devotion, and that devotion is what helped bring his performance to new life.
Consider me a believer.
Movie Review: Faith & Reality
Summary: 5 Stars
The Apostle (1997)Robert Duvall, well known for his charismatic character Gus in Lonesome Dove, both stars in and directs this film. He plays the charismatic character of a minister named Sonny, who later renames himself through the sacrament of baptism: The Apostle E.F. The baptism through a rite of the church which should be attended by others is self-administered with only nature attending the event. The baptism does not change all of Sonny's ways and neither does his name change. It does however allow him to follow and live out his calling to evangelize for a time as an apostle; one called by God to do a specific vocation in the church, or in this case outside the established church. Like others in our society who have deluded themselves into the belief that by changing their name and geographical location they can escape justice for acts committed against the law and society. But eventually when the past catches up with them, as it does with E.F., then justice prevails.
A question that comes to mind is who pays or who is to blame? Is society to blame? Or are the constructs within society the culprit? There are usually two sides, if not more to every action. What Duvall accurately portrays in this film is that the double standard of the patriarchal system is still very much alive. His charismatic style which attracts others to worship at church is also used in another way in his home. His wife Jessie Dewey (Farrah Fawcett) knows his style of manipulation quite well as she refuses to pray with him when he asks, begs, and then orders her to. She resists thus asserting her independence from him. She is no longer a victim to and of his charm and charismatic ways. Thus the stage is set for his later behavior; drunkenness and jealous action. He tries to take by violence what he believes is his, by right of marriage; his wife and children. The act that he commits causes him to go into hiding, by running and covering up his identity. Yet his conscious gets to him, as he calls a friend several times to check on conditions at home. During this time of self-imposed exile he has no contact with his former life except through calls he makes to a friend. This friend informs him of two deaths; that of his former youth pastor and his (Sonny's) mother. The self-imposed exile cut Sonny off from his mother, to whom he was deeply devoted.
What caught my voyeur's eye is that Duvall successfully brought belief and faith to the film. Faith and belief in something outside of one's self will sustain and nourish a person; whether it be a relationship with a friend or God. People need the construct of community to live up to their full potential. Sonny proved this as his alter ego E.F. brought a caring sense of community to a depressed people, which helped them to restore and renew their own sense of worth, and relationship to God. In this way he lived up to the call of God within him, without the vanity of his former life as Sonny the Evangelist.
This film is a must have for those who would like to really see the reality of Christianity and faith lived out.
Movie Review: Redemption without repentance? For Apostle E.F., the answer is found here.
Summary: 5 Stars
It's an amazing movie, one that Robert Duvall acknowledges as a career peak in the accompanying documentary. It's amazing on so many levels that when the long road to financing the film is revealed (Duvall made it on his own dime), you want to look toward Hollywood and ask "What were you THINKING?" He reveals that his award for "Tender Mercies" made him think that a window of opportunity might open. However, "The Apostle" was to remain in Duvall's "theater of the mind" for a few years longer.
The casting is perfect. Walton "Shane Vendrell" Goggins (The Shield) really stands out as Sammy. Duvall discusses Sammy's "born again" scene, saying that Goggin's whole body was shaking as he knelt...it was as if he were actually witnessing a man being born again. Fans of The Shield and its DVD commentaries know that Goggins is the ultimate method actor, isolating himself prior to scenes being filmed, psyching himself up one thousand percent for the performance. He does not disappoint here. He tackles the role of a simple man with a good heart whose life is transformed after encountering a complex man with a stain on his soul (Apostle E.F.).
John Beasley's performance as "Reverend Blackwell" provides a reason to watch the movie all by itself. Sometimes in life we feel that we've given it all, it's time to rest, and the best is behind us. Then we are called to bring about something bigger than we'd ever imagined. That's Reverend Blackwell's fate, and he plays against Apostle E.F. magnificently.
Miranda Richardson as Toosie, the love interest...after Duvall's crime of passion, he attempts to rebuild his life, brick by brick. At one point he tells Toosie (who is separated from her husband) that all he needs is to hold someone who wants to be held. That's his agenda, not hers. She is there when the curtain comes down, but Apostle E.F. ultimately learns that redemption never comes before repentance.
Farrah Fawcett manages the impossible...viewers can sympathize with her marriage to a complex, troubled, controlling man like Apostle E.F. while having mixed feelings about her affair with the youth pastor. There is one chilling scene in which Fawcett, off-camera and in a voice-over, surveys the damage in her marriage (and beyond). She's an anti-hero...flawed, but in a manner that differs from her husband. Two flawed people in a doomed marriage, which sets up the underlying conflict that drives the story.
As if that weren't enough, the late June Carter Cash (as the Apostle's mother) delivers an elegantly understated yet powerful performance. Her presence is fitting as the hymns she sings throughout add to a powerful, masterfully assembled soundtrack.
Note to Robert Duvall: You financed the movie out of your own pocket, and it was worth every penny. Your audience is in your debt.
Movie Review: An Honest Portrayal
Summary: 5 Stars
My sister and I watched this movie for the first time last night on cable. I had heard of it since its debut in 1997, but never taken the time to watch it. I had been avoiding it, to be honest. I assumed it was a film which was making a mockery of Christianity. However, I was very, very wrong.
"The Apostle" is one of the the best films I have seen. When I started watching it, I thought I might be disappointed. I was not. I have enjoyed the other films I have seen Robert Duvall in, but this was his best performance of all. He brilliantly captured the part of the the charismatic, Southern preacher. I have seen preachers like that in person, and there were times we felt were in church, or seeing them on television. We had to remember we were watching a movie.
The thing about this film that appeals to me most is how Sonny is a man who really loves the Lord. However, he is not perfect, nor does he pretend to be. So many of we Christians can be so arrogant, thinking we are above everyone else, it is an annoying turn-off. He has cheated on his wife, and kills her lover by beating him with a baseball bat in a fit of anger. He is kicked out of his church. He even lashes out at God when his wife leaves him. It is a very realistic portrayal of a man who has deeply rooted issues, yet at the same time, he is still a Christian. It shows you do not have to be perfect to serve God, and to love Him. This movie does not belittle or disrespect Christianity. It makes it real and honest.
After Sonny's attack on his wife's lover, he flees to a small town in Louisiana, where he decides to start his life over. He baptizes himself again, declares himself an apostle, and takes on the name "The Apostle E.F." He founds a new church, which starts off very small, then quickly grows into a larger, racially-diverse congregation. It is a close-knit group. Unfortunately, Sonny's ex-wife hears him on the radio, and contacts the local authorities. One night, after a touching, uplifting sermon, he is arrested for murder. He embraces some of the members, as they sing. He then walks out of the church, and surrenders to the police, relinquishing his jewelry to be sold for the benefit of the church. In prison, he is still preaching the gospel, and influencing the other inmates.
The rest of the cast includes Farrah Fawcett, as Sonny's ex-wife Jessie, June Carter-Cash as Sonny's mother, John Beasley as Brother C. Charles Blackwell, the man he builds his new church with, and Billy Bob Thornton as a racist troublemaker who initially comes to the church to start trouble, but is converted by Sonny in the end.
I have quite a few favorite movies. Very few have ever touched me as deeply as this one did. I could watch it again and again, and never get tired of it, or its message.
Movie Review: As a movie....Brilliant.
Summary: 5 Stars
After most movies I watch, I say to myself "That was a pretty good movie", and then I never think about them again........not this movie. Once you watch this one, you'll never forget it. I watched it about 5 years ago and it is still as clear as the day I watched it. As a conservative Christian, I do not subscribe at all to the pentecostal faith or their worship practices, but the portrayal of all these things in this movie is very realistic, regardless of how you view these matters.
As a movie, this is a brilliant work; as for the acting, Duvall's performance defies description. A quick scan of the reviews here will give you the picture.
This is undoubtedly one of those "love it" or "hate it" movies. As a movie, I loved it, but it probably has to be understood to be loved, otherwise it may completely miss you and you will find yourself scratching your head.
I have read some of the reviews and found a little of what I was afraid I would find, i.e. those attempting to either evaluate this as a "Christian" movie, or those using it to disparage Christianity. This is misguided. There is no attempt at Biblical teaching in this movie nor any attempt at a political message. This movie is portraying a man and his journey.
When the movie opens with the holiness service where they are all shouting and screaming Jesus' name, it nearly turned me off about the whole movie, and I am sure there were many who saw this and were tainted from that point on, I nearly was. Again, however, this is probably a pretty realistic portrayal of the pentecostal holiness worship. In any event, this part is soon over and the movie really begins after that.
I was born in the "north" and still have much family that are Yankees, and I know pretty much what they believe and how they think. I have also lived in the south most of my life, part of this time in the deep south, and I have seen firsthand the differences in cultural beliefs and attitude between the two parts of our country. I have also seen the religious differences between the 2 as well. And frankly, as others have said, you must have some understanding of the local setting, including this particular aspect of the pentecostal religion before you can fully appreciate this movie and Duvall's character. For what it depicts, this movie is as real and accurate as it gets. Again, however, the Pentecostal religion is just the setting, not the main plot.
Duvall's performance is beyond words so I will not attempt to describe it, except to say that despite my comments about knowing the setting and understanding the culture in the movie, if you appreciate good movies and good performances, you shouldn't miss this.