Willem Dafoe plays Jesus Christ in this extraordinarily controversial adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis's novel. The film depicts a sometimes reluctant, self-doubting Jesus, gradually coming to accept His divinity and the inexorability of His ultimate fate. The much-maligned sex scene with Mary Magdalene (Barbara Hershey) occurs as an hallucination experienced by Jesus as he suffers on the cross. This particular sequence was what infuriated the film's most rabid critics, but in fact it is just one
of many iconoclastic musings to be found in the film and its source novel. Equally volatile are the intimations that, as a carpenter, Jesus indifferently shaped the crucifixes for other condemned prisoners long before his own fate was sealed, and that Judas (Harvey Keitel) was literally manipulated into betrayal by a Christ whose preoccuption with his own destiny compelled him to "use" others. None of these departures from the normal interpretation of the scriptures are offered as any more than theory; as such, it was accepted as food for thought by the more open-minded clerics and Biblical scholars who recommended the film. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Concentrating on the humanity and fallibility of Jesus in continual conflict with his divinity, the film falters as a contemporary statement mainly in its primitive view of women.
What emerges most memorably is its sense of absolute conviction, never more palpable than in the final fantasy sequence that removes Jesus from the cross and creates for him the life of an ordinary man.
Among those who do not already have rigid views on the subject, this film is likely to inspire more serious thought on the nature of Jesus than any other ever made.
In spite of all [Scorsese] accomplishes, he is unable to bring Jesus close to us, to realize his stated goal of creating a universal figure who symbolizes the spiritual anguish of all men.
Quietly radical and deeply inspiring . . . thanks to a fervid commitment by Willem Dafoe as Jesus, a swirling, cross-cultural score from Peter Gabriel and some thrilling interpretations of the Bible. The ending is a rare moment of transcendence on film.
Despite moments of power and beauty, Scorsese's controversial film is flawed largely due to its casting, anachronistic dialogue, and blend of acting styles; yet it's a typical Scorsese film, dealing with sin, guilt, and redemption
Scorsese's film is a work of passion and faith, and admirable for the way it fearlessly explores its themes, disregarding canonical dogma in search of human truth.
A daring, gutsy film concerning the life of Jesus Christ (Willem Dafoe) and his final temptation of living a normal life with a loving wife, kids, and the prospect of growing old on this earth. While definitely a controversial film that could easily be labeled "blasphemy" by many Christians, this is still a remarkable
picture. Dafoe's performance is the driving force behind it, while Scorsese's firm direction and feel for melodrama help make this film utterly hypnotizing for most of its running length. Sure, there's some corny dialogue and the last half hour or so loses focus a tad, but this is still a film worth a view.
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