Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This was a very moving film - as another reviewer said, it made me feel that I had stepped into the world of the early Roman Christians. It is more a summation of Paul's teachings than a detailed biography. There is very little attempt to invent details of Paul's life that are not known from scripture. Highlights of his life are shown in flashback, as he dictates various letters to Luke. The anguish, faithfulness and internal conflicts of the early Christian community were movingly portrayed - acting was superb. I was really shocked to see the poor reviews of this movie in secular media, but then I realized that as a Christian, I was able to interact with and internalize many aspects of the movie on a level that would be impossible for a non-Christian viewer. For Christians, especially those intimately familiar with the Bible, there are many teachings of this beloved apostle which provide daily inspiration that are acted out and expounded in this movie. Other secular reviews also note the violent scenes, e.g. the burning of Christians as human torches by Nero, the circus "games" where many were executed very brutally and the beating death of a young Christian boy. Catholics may note the parallels between this boy and a well known child martyr named Tarcisius (the boy's name in the movie is Tarquin). These glimpses of violence are representative of many, many more instances of suffering and martyrdom endured by the early Christians and must not be perceived as gratuitous. Overall, I was happy with the accuracy and depth of the film.