Review of The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) by Christopher L — 29 May 2009

In some places unbearably silly, in other places profoundly moving, Martin Scorsese's uneven adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis' novel still gets four stars; where it works, it's exceptional.

There are all kinds of bizarre, flat pictures of Jesus floating around contemporary culture, especially contemporary Christian culture. The notion of God made man is sort of obliquely avoided, and Christ is seen as so perfect, so inhuman that he might as well just be Yaweh in a skin suit. Not so in this film.

Scorsese and Dafoe do an excellent job of presenting a number of different sides of a very human Jesus who struggles to understand this profound, painful relationship with God. The scene in the desert when Jesus is tempted by Satan, the scene when he returns to his disciples and tells them that he has come for war, and the revolt at the Temple-- all of this shows the savage side of Jesus that many Christians blithely forget from their Gospels.

John the Baptist is well portrayed, as are his "followers.".

The struggle that Jesus undergoes on the Mount of Olives is exceptional in this film, as is Scorsese's rendition of the relationship between Jesus and Judas. David Bowie's cameo as Pontius Pilate is brilliant, and Satan has never been more compellingly cast and played.

Finally, the last temptation is moving-- it is surreal, beautiful, creepy and sad all at once. The film ends powerfully, triumphantly. There's so much good to say about this movie that it's easy to forget some profoundly silly, awkward moments. But I suppose it's hard to write, direct, or play Jesus.