Review of The Mission (1986) by Davey M — 06 Jul 2008

It gets bogged down by in the political issues too much to focus on the more interesting emotional and moral issues they bring on, but "The Mission" is a pretty grand movie nevertheless. Jeremy Irons is first-rate and Liam Neeson is really great in a supporting role, but it's Robert De Niro who, in spite of his total inability to render his ultra-formal-old-timey Robert Bolte dialogue in any way natural, is really memorable for me.

Even when he's almost ridiculous that guy gets to the emotional core of a character and it's a pretty shattering, staggering thing to see. The cinematography and music are really stunning, and the film deals interestingly and sympathetically with an eternal Christian conflict--if Christ tells us that God is love and we are to love our enemies and bless those that despitefully use us, and then He tells us He comes not with peace but with a sword, how are we to reconcile that? The conclusion "The Mission" draws is mature, maybe complicated, and, I think, pretty accurate.