The Passion of the Christ a Powerful Film

Indianapolis, March 10, 2004

BIG AL'S FLIX Al Harrington

"It's definitely a movie I think everybody should see," Al said. "To me, I think it's a movie that could change people's lives, change the way they live when they realize some of the sins we commit and that God paid for it and he's still paying for it. It was tough for me to watch with the violence, when they were beating him and mocking him. A lot of times, I caught myself saying, 'stop" out loud, as if I was talking to the people in the movie."

The Plot: Mel Gibson (Braveheart, The Patriot) directs the epic movie that centers around the final 12 hours of the life of Jesus, telling the story of the final hours of the Christ in intimate, brutal detail, beginning with his temptations in the Garden of Gethsemane. The result is one of the most talked about movies since Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List. Not only has the film hit on religious hot buttons, it has stayed atop box office earnings lists since its release.

Jim Caviezel, a 35-year-old actor who was not yet a household name, plays Jesus and is an American among a largely Italian cast that includes Monica Bellucci (The Matrix trilogy, Tears of the Sun) as Magdelene and Claudia Gerini (Under the Tuscan Sun) as Claudia Procles.

Despite the fact that Passion is essentially a foreign-language film in which the actors speak Latin and Aramaic, Al had no qualms about subtitles, which was a surprise - even to him.

"Believe it or not, I didn't mind (the subtitles)," he said. "It actually kept your attention, definitely."

Al’s Takes: "It was very powerful. It brought a lot of people in the theater to tears while I was there. I almost shed a couple of tears, too. It was a great movie - very powerful and very meaningful."

"In the Bible, it says he suffered and what they showed in the movie was someone suffering. A lot of the things that were said in the Bible, it gives you the idea that that was exactly the way it went down. I think that that is what he went through. He really did suffer for our sins."

Extras: Al understands that Passion has generated no small amount of controversy, but his own personal beliefs were not offended and he believes the directorial heart of Gibson to be pure.

“To me, he went along with what the Bible said. I don't think he made up a lot of stuff or created stuff on his own. He went off what he read in the Bible and what God spoke to him in his heart. To me, I think God sent that movie for a reason. It was a lot bigger than just Mel Gibson.”

Everybody gives stars when rating movies. This season, Big Al’s Flix is giving hoops, with five being the best.

The Passion of the Christ: Four hoops.