The story opens in the Garden of Olives where Jesus has gone to pray after the Last Supper. Respect is due - to him and all.A depiction of the last twelve hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, on the day of his crucifixion in Jerusalem. Jim C truly looks as if he has gone thru hell. I can imagine if Mike Leigh or Ken Loach had made this it would have been far more unpleasant! Powerful, moving, even if you don't actually "buy" the central storyline.
Certainly more visceral than, King of Kings, Greatest Story ever Told etc, a lot of the worst scenes took place in slow motion, off camera etc which somehow did make things easier to stomach. I have to say that after all the acres of print I had read about the violence and bloodshed in the film, I actually felt it was rather less nasty than I may have feared. Your heart really went out to him - even as a "non-believer". The film was very watchable, never boring and Caviezel was superb in the main role. Bye the way - I write this as a non-religious person. Anthony Pereyra avoided this film during its cinema release - partially thru fear as to whether I would be able to handle the violence etc I did eventually catch this on DVD. At the moment of his death, nature itself over-turns. Initially, in his dazed suffering, Jesus is alarmed that he has been abandoned by God his father.
There, more corporal cruelty takes place as Jesus is nailed to the cross-suffering, he hangs there, left to die. 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. Thus, Pilate washes his hands of the entire dilemma, ordering his men to do as the crowd wishes. 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. Thus, Jesus is handed over to the Roman soldiers and is brutally flagellated. The crowd chooses to have Barrabas set free. 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.
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. Pilate listens to the accusations leveled at Jesus by the Pharisees. Jesus is brought before Pontius Pilate, the prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, for his sentencing.
There, the leaders of the Pharisees confront him with accusations of blasphemy subsequently, his trial results with the leaders condemning him to his death. 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. A depiction of the last twelve hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, on the day of his crucifixion in Jerusalem.