
Biography of Martin Luther (Joseph Fiennes), the sixteenth century priest who led the Christian Reformation, and opened up new possibilities in exploration of faith. This movie begins with his vow to become a monk, and continues through his struggles to reconcile his desire for sanctification with his increasing abhorrence of the corruption and hypocrisy pervading the Church's hierarchy. He is ultimately charged with heresy and must confront the ruling Cardinals and Princes, ... (Full plot summary below)
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Biography of Martin Luther (Joseph Fiennes), the sixteenth century priest who led the Christian Reformation, and opened up new possibilities in exploration of faith. This movie begins with his vow to become a monk, and continues through his struggles to reconcile his desire for sanctification with his increasing abhorrence of the corruption and hypocrisy pervading the Church's hierarchy. He is ultimately charged with heresy and must confront the ruling Cardinals and Princes, urging them to make the Scriptures available to the common believer and lead the Church toward faith through justice and righteousness.
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| The New RepublicStanley KauffmannFiennes has imagined and created from within. His Luther is not the thunderer we might expect, but he is, wondrously, the incarnation of a man passionate for God and angry with mundane intercessions. |
| Portland OregonianMarc MohanOverall, Luther does a satisfying job of restoring humanity to a woodcut icon. |
| Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam ArnoldVeteran British director Eric Till otherwise does a credible job of sweeping us through this huge life, and his eye for detail combines with the Oscar-worthy production design and a succession of striking Eastern European locations to create a rich visual tapestry of the Middle Ages. |
| Entertainment WeeklyScott BrownRising above the throng is the great wreck of Sir Peter Ustinov, who, as the canny, saucy German Prince Frederick, distinguishes both himself and the movie. |
| Boston GlobeWesley MorrisThe film winds up stranding us in a desperate wilderness of collapse and betrothal. |
| Dallas ObserverJean OppenheimerWith Joseph Fiennes as the conflicted, frequently self-hating Luther, this historical drama/biopic offers a fairly thorough overview of the period (although it's weak on the "good deeds" angle) but is somewhat dry and weighted with significance. |
| The A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe unimposing Fiennes may not suggest the burly Luther's plain-talking peasant background, but he at least captures the charisma. |
| Washington PostJen ChaneyIt's just unfortunate that a movie about such a daring man ultimately takes few risks. |
| Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranAfter a summer of numbing mindlessness, there is something frankly refreshing about a movie that deals even superficially with as significant a figure as the rebellious 16th century theologian Martin Luther, one of the founders of Protestantism and the man who put the reform in the Reformation. |
| Chicago TribuneEllen FoxAside from a couple of unintelligible conversations with himself, there's barely any God here. The film would rather just be inclusive. Luther might have wanted it that way, but as moviegoers, it's hard not to want more. |