Paul, Apostle of Christ (dir. Andrew Hyatt)

It’s been nearly fifteen-years since Jim Caviezel put blood, sweat and tears into his turn as Jesus Christ, in Mel Gibson’s R-rated box-office juggernaut, “The Passion of the Christ”. A role which brought him universal acclaim, but arguably sunk his career and saw him destined for portentous roles as fellow biblical archetypes and a mainstay on televisions “Person of Interest”.

In a change of pace for Caviezel, here he is cast as Luke, a Christian living in Rome in A.D 67 - who follows one of Jesus’ apostles Paul (James Faulkner) during his time in a Roman prison. The most notable difference between Passion of the Christ and Paul, Apostle of Christ is it’s MPAA rating - as Gibson’s tale approached it’s subject material with a razor-sharp nihilistic edge, director Andrew Hyatt is in favor of the family friendly aesthetic, opting for a word-heavy character driven drama.

Rome is in chaos. Wild fires have bulldozed the city, and it’s Emperor blames the Christian community for the violence, causing them to hide in sub-refugee camps or face being burnt at the stake in the streets of the capital. The soon-to-be executed Paul - one of Christ's apostle's - sits idly in his cell awaiting his fate for his assumed role in the fires, despite half of the city believing Nero was at fault. Daily delineations with the Prefect of the Prison Mauritius (Oliver Martinez) become the highlight of his day. He is soon met by local physician and old-friend Luke (Caviezel) and they begin transcribing the virtues of their faith and teaching each other their findings throughout the years.

Elsewhere, the leaders of the local christian community: Aquila (John Lynch) and Priscilla (Joanne Wallet) debate ferociously on whether or not to stay and fight the oppressive Roman regime or simply wait it out - like their religious beliefs would ask them too. Sequences in which they and fellow members remonstrate on the best course of action, as well as Luke’s visits to the camp, are perhaps the least engaging due to their oddly smug self-importance.

The ensemble cast are the greatest achievement in Andrew Hyatt’s overly stagey interpretation of the last days of the apostles life: James Faulkner as Paul is terrific -known to many for his work on Game of Thrones - and manages to convert the complexities behind his extraordinary life. Oliver Martinez’s Mauritius begins as the pantomime villain and his strong french accent can be challenging to decipher, yet begins to garner sympathy when his daughter becomes gravely ill - ushering in some overly sentimental exchanges with his wife and similarly hysterical discussions about his crisis of faith.

Though it’s true that there are long langurs in Hyatt’s drama, which amount to sanctimonious squabbling about the nature of faith and the morality of defeating the oppressed, these dramatic flourishes are far more watchable than they ought to be. Cinematographer Geraldo Madrazo does a tremendous job in shooting the insular confines of the drama - evoking a musty and grainy aesthetic to the churning dialogue. But the real charm of the film comes in Caviezel, who commands the screen in his turn as the troubled admired of apostle Paul, and no matter what your religious standpoint may be, there’s a message of hope and tolerance within the milieu which is universal.

Rating 3/5