The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, 
Runtime: 164 minutes

Synopsis: The life of Jesus Christ, his journey through life as he faces the struggles all humans do, and his final temptation on the cross.

Verdict: I attended catholic school when I was young. The atmosphere there was naturally very religious, and we would occasionally be treated with a film about the teachings of Jesus and the exciting life he led. They were all very similar movies, aimed at showing the audience what they wanted to see without challenging any of it. To them, Jesus was, before anything else, an idea, an untouchable symbol of something much greater, the very foundation of the principles followed by countless Christians around the globe.

Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader throw all that out the window in their controversial adaptation of the equally controversial novel “The Last Temptation of Christ”, published by Nikos Kazantzakis about three decades prior and immediately condemned by the Catholic Church. In it, the son of God is not the perfect role model we’ve been taught about, but rather a man composed of flesh and blood like any other man. The magnitude of his mission takes the best of him more than once as he becomes consumed by fear, hesitancy, or even doubt. The road to the cross is not a straight path, but one riddled with moral obstacles that include a final temptation during his biggest moment of weakness: just before his death.

“The Last Temptation of Christ” is a fascinating character study that offers a unique perspective on the story of Jesus. But despite Willem Dafoe’s grand performance in the lead and a delightful appearance from David Bowie as Pontius Pilate, I can’t say that it’s Martin Scorsese's best work from a technical point of view. Even when you get accustomed to the Italian-American accent sported by many cast members, you’re still left with a cheap-looking production made even more outlandish by Peter Gabriel’s exaggerated Arabic-inspired musical score. Harvey Keitel also delivers one of the poorest performances of his career in the role of Judas, earning him a cruel but deserving Razzie nomination that year. In other words, it may not be “Silence”, but it’s still well worth checking out if the topic is of interest to you.

FINAL GRADE: 7/10