In 33 AD, a Roman Tribune in Judea is tasked to find the missing body of Jesus Christ who rose from the dead. Roman military tribune Clavius remains set in his ways after serving 25 years in the army. He arrives at a crossroad when he is tasked with investigating the mystery of what happened to Jesus following His crucifixion. Accompanied by trusted aide Lucius, his quest to disprove rumours of a risen Messiah makes him question his own beliefs and spirituality. As his journey takes him to places never dreamed of, Clavius discovers the truth that he's been seeking. Set in Jerusalem in AD33, this is the tale of Clavius (Joseph Fiennes), a Roman tribune tasked with finding the body of Yeshua (Cliff Curtis) to destroy the rumours that he is the Messiah.<br/><br/>For Yeshua, read Jesus. It's a tale we know well, but Clavius has yet to discover the truth. His hard bitten Roman intellect, born out of military service and harsh necessity, refuses to accept the supernatural tale unravelling before him. Pontius Pilate (Colin Firth) exerts increasing pressure, needing to quell unrest before the Emperor arrives. What follows is a well played and involving detective story, as Clavius pursues clues and suspects in search of the truth and a body.<br/><br/>His search eventually leads him to a spiritual awakening, and the film changes. It's no longer a detective story. It's a story about something much bigger and I don't need to tell you what that is.<br/><br/>Fiennes is very good as Clavius. Convincing both as the put upon tribune, under pressure to solve the mystery of the missing body, and as the man for whom everything changes.<br/><br/>For this viewer, this is an interesting take on an oft told tale, from a very different perspective. If you are an atheist without an open mind, this probably isn't for you. Otherwise, I'd recommend it. It is clear that "subtle" and "downplayed" were both the director's aims for this film, which is unusual for a Christian movie, and this might bore some audience members because the trailers seem to feature more action. To truly enjoy this film, you must follow all of the dialogue, which is difficult because so much of it is so quietly spoken. This is not a movie to see when you are tired or hoping for lots of action and special effects. However, the movie is definitely worth the ticket price, as the true drama lies in the tension between the characters and what their dialogue communicates. What I truly appreciate is the effort that went into creating an intelligent Christian film, even at the risk of boring audience members who can't follow it, though that would probably include many people who see this movie only once. Refreshingly unpretentious, Risen reimagines the Gospel as an ancient Roman cop movie.
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354 weeks ago