Risen
offers a good rendition of the time during Christ’s crucifixion, resurrection,
and transcendence as seen through the eyes of a skeptical Roman tribune who is
charged with seeing that the crucifixion is carried out. Next, he’s to assure that the cave
where the Nazarene’s body is placed has a huge stone rolled up to the entry by
seven men to assure that the body is not stolen. His followers are suspected of trying to steal it, hide it,
and claim that Yeshua (Jesus) arose from the dead. The Roman Prefect is especially nervous about quelling all
unrest among the Hebrews because of the imminent visit of the emperor.
As he works to carry out the orders, Tribune
Clavius (Fiennes) is watchful and thorough in going to all lengths in ferreting
out the body. When he finds that
the tomb is indeed empty the next morning, with the stained shroud left behind,
puzzlement and doubt begin to have an effect on him. He overhears prophecies
and tales of miracles that make him uncomfortable; and then he is given
apparent proof that what the disciples are saying is true. This is a critical crossroads for him.
Earlier, the Roman Prefect commented on his ambition and inquired about what he
was seeking. The reply was to go
to Rome, become an important figure, and have “position, power, wealth, a
family, a house in the country—and, finally, peace—days without death.” Currently, with all the uprisings and
the government’s response, his every moment is steeped in death, ugly
deaths. Clavius is not heartless;
he clearly shows his pain in the face of cruelty and suffering, and he is
measured in his judgments.
The disciples truly believe that Yeshua has
risen from the dead and that he will reappear in Galilee, so they take off
after him, hoping to see him again and be touched by his presence, and to
witness again his miraculous works.
The Prefect instructs his soldiers to follow them, capture Yeshua, and
“kill him again.”
The filming of this well-known story with the
added twist of a Roman soldier is nicely related and well paced by
writer/director Kevin Reynolds and writer Paul Aiello and made visually
beautiful by Lorenzo Senatore’s camera.
Special effects are used judiciously in battle scenes, earth-shaking
events, and turbulent seas.
Fiennes grabs your attention in every scene
he’s in and holds onto it with nuances in expression and maintaining a certain
degree of mysteriousness that keeps you guessing as to what he is
thinking. Supporting actors Tom
Felton and Peter Firth give informed performances, and Cliff Curtis is perfect
in his role as Yeshua; he has something of an unearthly aura about him that is
most fitting.
What
does a Roman soldier do once his conversion to Christianity begins?
Grade: C+ By Donna R. Copeland
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