
A depiction of the last twelve hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, on the day of his crucifixion in Jerusalem. The story opens in the Garden of Olives where Jesus has gone to pray after the Last Supper. Betrayed by Judas Iscariot, the controversial Jesus--who has performed 'miracles' and has publicly announced that he is 'the Son of God'--is arrested and taken back within the city walls of Jerusalem. There, the leaders of the Pharisees confront him with accusations of bla... (Full plot summary below)
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A depiction of the last twelve hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, on the day of his crucifixion in Jerusalem. The story opens in the Garden of Olives where Jesus has gone to pray after the Last Supper. Betrayed by Judas Iscariot, the controversial Jesus--who has performed 'miracles' and has publicly announced that he is 'the Son of God'--is arrested and taken back within the city walls of Jerusalem. There, the leaders of the Pharisees confront him with accusations of blasphemy; subsequently, his trial results with the leaders condemning him to his death. Jesus is brought before Pontius Pilate, the prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, for his sentencing. Pilate listens to the accusations leveled at Jesus by the Pharisees. Realizing that his own decision will cause him to become embroiled in a political conflict, Pilate defers to King Herod in deciding the matter of how to persecute Jesus. However, Herod returns Jesus to Pilate who, in turn, gives the crowd a choice between which prisoner they would rather to see set free--Jesus, or Barrabas. The crowd chooses to have Barrabas set free. Thus, Jesus is handed over to the Roman soldiers and is brutally flagellated. Bloody and unrecognizable, he is brought back before Pilate who, once again, presents him to the thirsty crowd--assuming they will see that Jesus has been punished enough. The crowd, however, is not satisfied. Thus, Pilate washes his hands of the entire dilemma, ordering his men to do as the crowd wishes. Whipped and weakened, Jesus is presented with the cross and is ordered to carry it through the streets of Jerusalem, all the way up to Golgotha. There, more corporal cruelty takes place as Jesus is nailed to the cross--suffering, he hangs there, left to die. Initially, in his dazed suffering, Jesus is alarmed that he has been abandoned by God his father. He then beseeches God. At the moment of his death, nature itself over-turns.
Leave your thoughts about The Passion of the Christ.
| Stream on DemandSean Axmaker... can be read both as a literal illustration of the story of Christ's suffering at the hands of the Roman... and an anti-authoritarian tract that questions the very assumptions of guilt and blame that many take for granted the film shares. |
| Time OutWally HammondA negative and spiritually underwhelming experience. |
| tonymedley.comTony MedleyA magnificent story well told...For most Christians the crucifixion has become sort of a cliché, something they know happened without really appreciating what agony it was. |
| Film ThreatRick KisonakWhile it fails to shed significant new light on its subject, Gibson's film and the all-Jesus-all-the-time attention from the media it's attracted do tell us something somewhat disconcerting about the state of American culture: That the way to make a religion based on love and forgiveness relevant today is to turn it into violent entertainment. |
| Entertainment SpectrumVince KoehlerThis is one of the most powerful and emotional films I have ever seen. |
| Supercala.comPaul SalfenIf Gibson's central wish was for people to discuss Jesus, mission accomplished. If you can manage to disregard the hype, you'll witness a wonderfully made film. |
| Boxoffice MagazineWade MajorThe Passion of the Christ is painstakingly true to its source material, neither editorializing nor embellishing upon what is taught each week in thousands upon thousands of churches across the globe. |
| Montreal Film JournalKevin N. LaforestReligion is always a delicate and personal issue, but great filmmaking is great filmmaking, period. |
| Critic DoctorPeter SobczynskiThis is a good film, well-made, well-told and it is clearly a personal triumph for Mel Gibson. |
| Reel Film ReviewsDavid NusairThe bottom line is that The Passion of the Christ is an astonishing cinematic achievement, utterly riveting from start to finish. |