The Apostle

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Ryan F A superbly well acted movie with an amazing cast. From recognizable actors to seasoned character actors with plenty of background actors as well, literally all of them seemed like you could bump into them at the grocery store or church; very authentic in that regard. The story is simple and concise, but also complicated and profound. It's not an easy thing to pull off, and I'd argue very few movies manage to do it. This, Slingblade, and The Straight Story are some examples that come to mind, but many movies fail to achieve this level of quality and humanity. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/06/24 Full Review thomas s I'm torn between 4.5 and 5 stars. The movie, for me, was phenomenal. Growing up around these pentecostal, NARM, preachers I gradually formed a kind of righteous indignation to them. I consider them either deceived or knowingly deceiving others. Wolves in sheep's clothing, so to speak. So, with just the title of this movie I thought I knew what it was going to be about. And I thought my suspicions were confirmed until about the 2nd half of the film. His zeal for God was extraordinary. Where I saw hypocrisy there was really just an illumination of human fallibility. And what I thought was willful deceit in his character, turned out to be an extraordinary zeal for God. I walked into this movie thinking..... at least I'm not like one of these hucksters. But as the credits rolled I couldn't help but think "is this guy a better Christian than me?" The only reason I give it 4 instead of 5 stars is because it seemed rushed. This is a story you could make a TV series about. 2 hours just wasn't enough. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/29/23 Full Review karen n Incredible acting such a grass root movie wonderful story. It's so good it would make an atheist become a Christian. Loved it Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/13/23 Full Review Robert B exceptional. Very believable, poignant story. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/14/22 Full Review William L Robert Duvall: *fleeing from a first-degree murder charge* Also Robert Duvall: *loudly hocking blessed, hand-painted scarves over the radio for $7.95* Many viewers claim that The Apostle is a unique film in its treatment of American Evangelicalism, affirming neither the fervent adherents or the most prominent detractors, but instead focusing on a greater character aspect as Duvall's 'Sonny' Dewey attempts to carve out a new life once his old one has fallen apart; his character is intended to convey an unyielding faith but a willingness to adapt that some Christians may not espouse. While an interesting concept, the execution here seems flawed, mostly in the film's inability to level real criticism at the character of Sonny. His life begins to fall apart due to no real fault of his own (rather it's the unfaithful wife he tries to goad into staying with him through appeals to faith), and even his most prominent sin (the half-intended murder of his wife's lover) feels like it would receive the full support of the Christian right in today's media landscape - a man whose only crime was a fit of passion in the defense of his traditional family unit. He never really expresses any sense of remorse for the killing as he goes about a grassroots campaign to fund a new church deep in the Lousiana bayou, and in fact the film resoundingly supports his more violent tendencies when they support what the film believes to be righteousness, particularly when confronting the racist overtones of Billy Bob Thornton's nameless 'troublemaker' (a character with the complexity of a thumbtack whose only purpose in the story is to serve up a laughably slow-pitch means of cleaning up Sonny's darker elements). While ambitious, there isn't nearly enough character depth here to make this plot work. That said, it is always fascinating to see the passion projects of established, well-respected actors; Duvall wrote, directed, and starred in the film and put enough of his chops on display to earn a Best Actor nom (though most of his resume for that is a series of repetitive, high-volume sermons). An interesting watch to glimpse inside what Duvall wanted to make himself, but I don't see any of what is written about this film when it comes to moral ambiguity. (2/5) Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 06/18/22 Full Review Kay W I really liked this. Strong performances and a great story. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/04/22 Full Review Read all reviews

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