The Body (2001) User Reviews

Interesting religious and political drama.

[BA_Harrison · 6/10 · 25 August 2006]

God has no place in politics—this is the theme of The Body, an interesting film, if not a particularly 'entertaining' one.

Antonio Banderas plays Father Matt Gutierrez, a priest sent by the Vatican to investigate the discovery of a tomb in Jerusalem, which may or may not contain the crucified remains of Christ. Gutierrez has been given instructions by the Vatican to declare that the remains are not those of Christ; but with all of the evidence suggesting otherwise, the priest must struggle with facing the fact that his religion may be founded on a lie, and that, perhaps, Jesus was never resurrected.

Questioning his faith is only the beginning of Gutierrez's problems: Orthodox Jews, angry at the tomb being disturbed, attack the archaeologists; the Israelis blackmail the Vatican, only offering to hand over the body if the Vatican recognises Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel; and the Palestinians, who get wind of Israel's plan and are naturally displeased, kidnap the children of sexy archaeologist Sharon Golban (Olivia Williams), forcing her into stealing the bones.

The movie, shot on location in Jerusalem, has beautiful cinematography and great acting from Banderas and Williams, but the complicated plot may cause many viewers to lose interest. Those with a particular interest in the subject matter will probably glean the most from this rather long and intricate tale, but I can imagine the casual viewer quickly becoming bored.

If you choose to watch this, I recommend that you stick it out to the end; you may not be riveted to the screen but, like me, you might learn a little about a fascinating subject.

Religious as well as exciting thriller developed in city of Jerusalem

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 17 May 2005]

A crucified body dated back to the 1st century A.D is uncovered at an ancient cave in Jerusalem . Then , a priest named Matt Gutiérrez (Antonio Banderas) is assigned by a Vatican's cardinal (John Wood) to discover if a skeleton of a crucified man found beneath a a shop in location of Jerusalen can be the remains of the body of Christ . The priest along with an archaeologist named Sharon Golban (Olivia Williams , though Kristin Scott Thomas was formerly offered this role) will have to resolve the strange enigma . Another priest (Derek Jacobi) is about the tracks of the events that result to be each time more difficult and complicated . Trouble ensues as word spreads . As they'll take on a lot of dangers and in middle of two confronted parts , ¨Jews and Palestines¨ because both of them want the enigmatic body for their own purposes .

It's a spiritual thriller but with little action , it results to be slow-moving and sometimes a bit boring and tiring . The ending confrontation with noisy shootouts between the starring and the enemies is ridiculous and embarrassing . The storyline by Jonas McCord (film director) is clunky and confuse , in spite of being based on a successful novel . Antonio Banderas (Zorro) and Olivia Williams (The 6º sense) interpretation is average and other actors have a wooden acting with exception to Derek Jacobi (I Claudio) who plays astoundingly a priest of lost faith . Vilmos Zsigmond cinematography is excellent , he has a long career as cameraman with splendid films (Deer hunter, Heaven's gate , Sugarland express). Being shot on location in Jerusalem , Salesian Convent, Bet Jamal , Israel and Ospedale Santo Spirito, Borgo Santo Spirito , Rome Lazio, Italy . Serge Cobert's musical score is nice including some esoteric and spiritual notes and he creates a mysterious atmosphere . The picture was regularly directed by Jonas McCord . The yarn will appeal to spiritual thriller enthusiasts and Antonio Banderas fans . Rating : Average though entertaining.

A Nutshell Review: The Body (DVD, 2001)

[DICK STEEL · 6/10 · 19 December 2005]

The premise of this movie seemed interesting enough, although to some, it might be blasphemy. What if one day, the body (or rather, skeletal remains) of Christ was discovered in a similarly described tomb, with tell tale signs of the crucification, the spear wound, injuries inflicted by the crown of thorns, and the tomb dating back to 1 AD? This film looks at the possible destruction of the faith which hinges on the one man's resurrection as God. Olivia Williams plays an Israeli Sharon Golban, who discovers this body in a tomb she excavates. Suspecting she could be on to something big, she calls for a priest to confirm her suspicion. Soon, word gets around, rumours get spread. The Vatican dispatches one of their priests, Father Gutierrez (played by Antonio Banderas), and ex-military intelligence officer, to investigate and proof or disproof the claim.

While science points to the fact that the body may be that of Christ, it gives a chilling insight into what could make, or break, a religion. Is it blind faith that keeps it going, even if there should come a day when science can ultimately disproof certain theories and events? Here, discovering that body has serious implications because of the repercussions that the major event in Christ's life have on Christians. But what diluted this film from its primary premise is the introduction of Hollywood subplots to jazz up production, like having the Vatican embroiled in political intrigue, and having terrorist organizations taking an interest in the findings as well.

It's a relatively low budgeted production, but one which raised thought provoking questions even if the delivery somehow got distracted in attempts to become a bigger movie in terms of action sequences. I think this film probably would be a good prologue to the controversies that surround next year's Da Vinci Code.

Code 1 DVD contains "special features", but nothing out of the ordinary besides the usual trailers, audio, and scene selections.

Why the great disparity of ratings here?

[nz man · 7 April 2002]

Usually I am quite critical of films, especially Hollywood action films in the line of "The Body". I DID like this one and think it is under-rated but look at the reviews here and you will see extremes of hating and liking this film. This is odd, and I wonder if it has to do with the religious background of those making comments? I have put off renting this film for over a year, due to the low IMDB rating, and was very surprised to find a good solid performance of Antonio Banderas as a priest, decent dialogue, nice eye candy and acting of Olivia Williams, and an intelligent (well, for such an action flick anyhow) thought-provoking story.

A good idea, down the toilet

[TechNoir · 2/10 · 13 January 2001]

The Body is an example of how an interesting idea for a movie (the ideological and political implications of the discovery of the body of a crucified man that could be Jesus Christ) can go absolutely wrong. It could have made a really good movie with interesting analysis of the situation, but it is an absolute failure: The script is very bad, with meaningless and forced dialogues. The cinematography and screenplay is very bad too with a lot of repeated and uninteresting shots (no, not that city fly-by again please...) And besides the technical details, there are a lot of senseless and very cheap scenes, and a lot of absurd events (i.e., even though the Israeli authorities are very interested in the matter, sometimes there's guards around the excavation, sometimes when the storyline needs it there are none... and I could go on...) There's no rythm, there's nothing... it's like any cheap TV telefilm.

The acting is quite bad too. However not as bad as the rest of the movie...

All in all, it's really a pity. The movie is boring, technically flawed and very badly directed. Either if you're looking for a thriller (that's the way it's being sold) or a philosophical clip, look elsewhere. It will make quite a lot of cash though, due to the presence of Banderas and a clever marketing campaign that make the movie look really good.

The Value We Crave

[knubianknight · 7/10 · 19 April 2020]

This is those movies that question the sanity of our church and it's leaders. Yet I've always questioned religion, believing it's a "man-made interpretation of what and whom we believe Christ," to be. The problem is, that we will kill every last thing and person on this planet, to enforce our man-made beliefs.

This movie serves to re-enforce those tendencies through the actions of all characters involved; a priest questioning his belief, religious leaders manipulating information, and people ready to tear each apart, over a subject that we, "all of us," never even had a clear understanding of, in the first place.

I found The Body to be more, "gut wrenching of us and our character as a society(s), of people who lost their value," then for its entertainment value; which is why I rated it so high...

The Body is DOA

[guyb · 1/10 · 3 August 2001]

What a shame. This was a great premise. This was a great beginning. Really caught my interest. But nothing ever happened. Kind of like the old cartoon about the billboard with the police car on it. Just paper. No substance. What a waster. Usually, I'm against "remakes," but this is one I'd like to see done right someday. I think it's just that the "body of Christ" just seems to be in vogue at the moment and everybody's trying to grab on to it. (sound historically familiar?)

Good for what it is

[BigGuy · 7/10 · 6 July 2001]

This movie has received lower ratings than I expected, and worse reviews. Perhaps because it didn't fit into people's preconceptions, i.e. since it has Antonio Banderas it must be an action-drama. But it isn't that at all. Yes there is some action, but that is only a very small part of the plot, and how can you not have action and have something filmed in modern day Jerusalem dealing with religion!

The script was a bit confusing in parts, not quite all fit together, and at times the acting was not the best. But for a movie that is (as far as I can tell) direct to video or at least small market, it beats most of the rest of that field.

Perhaps it helps to actually have some sort of empathy for the priest played by Antonio Banderas. And that empathy is hard to come by if you are not Christian. Since basically this movie revolves around faith, and how fragile and how strong it can be. If you see religion as something to mock or if you could care less about religion, then you will get nothing out of this movie and should avoid it.

Great idea, terribly executed.

[nleung127 · 3/10 · 24 June 2012]

The body is about an Israeli archaeologist who discovers an ancient skeleton that has found in a tomb in Jerusalem. The remains indicated it could have been have the body of Christ because of the crucifixion marks, faint marking around the skulls and many other signs. The Vatican then decides to send a priest to investigate the issue and make sure whatever she discovers does not become a major issue. I found the movie to be quite boring and had terrible performances by the actors. This movie is a great example of an interesting idea (discovering the body of Christ) terribly executed. If it were better made and had a better script, it could have been an excellent movie. The ending of the story make the movie seem quite pointless as well, since everything was covered up, and the body was actually not the body of Christ. After watching this movie, I have learned that in order for the movie to be entertaining, it has to be made well even though it was a great idea. I have also learned that we have to keep on digging deeper to find more facts before making assumptions. (They concluded that it was Jesus Christ before they looked at everything (the plaque hidden in the tomb that said it was David who was buried.

Overall, the movie is boring, badly directed, and had somewhat bad acting.

Deals With Interesting Issues...

[jcanettis · 7/10 · 12 December 2005]

What I liked most in "The Body" was not what THE PLOT was about, but WHAT ISSUES it dealt with: It brings up a hot question of what would happen if somehow proof came up that Jesus was a mere mortal after all, thus shaking Christianity's foundations.

The story in the "Body" goes as follows: Dr. Sharon (Williams), a determined and skilled archaeologist, discovers a body which qualifies to be the one of Christ. Her amazing discovery naturally attracts great attention from several sides, despite the fact that it is suppressed from the general public: First of all there is the Vatican, who fears that this discovery will undermine the Christian faith, and thus sends Father Gutierrez "to investigate", i.e. "to bury", the case; then there is the Israeli government, which finds the whole issue as a great tool to further its political aims; and finally, we have the Palestinians who also find the discovery as a great opportunity to pursue their own agenda. As Fr. Gutierrez and Dr. Sharon try to work together and find the truth, their efforts are continuously stymied by the above three competing parties which conspire and collide endlessly.

The above plot makes for an interesting thriller, that's for sure. But as I said, what I liked more in this film are the philosophical issues it deals with: What if proof came up that Christ didn't resurrect, after all? Would this destroy Christianity, or as an Israeli spy master says in the film, some faithfuls may abandon ship but the religion is big enough to prevail? And how would the Vatican (and the Protestant and Orthodox churches for that matter) react to such news? Difficult questions, which the film handles rather skillfully, although still a bit superficially.

The direction is good, albeit sometimes things could be a bit less slow. Still, McCord produces wonderfully the atmosphere of a city as contradictory as Jerusalem.

As far as the acting is concerned, Banderas was good but not perfect. Williams was much better in her role, but sometimes her Israeli accent disappeared revealing her UK roots. I liked Jacobi in his small role as a priest who finds this shocking discovery too big for him to handle.

Verdict: 7/10.

Did the screen writer even read the book?

[imdb-81263 · 1/10 · 27 October 2023]

This horrible movie is based very loosely on the book of the same name by. Richard Sapir. There was none of the terrorist plot in the book, no kidnapping. Added garbage. One of the best parts of the book was how the Antonio Banderas character - actually Jim Folan from Portland Maine - is selected for the investigation at the Vatican and the movie completely skips over it. Dr Golban is not a widow with a child, but a married woman whose con-artist husband skipped out with all her money. How Father Jim Folan goes about his investigation is so much better. The book has a fired inscribed disk not a jar and lamp. Skip the movie and read the book.

A very worth while movie

[TLGeer · 9/10 · 14 February 2007]

This movie blew me away the first time that I saw it.

The politics of religion is something that has not been dealt with very well in the movies. This movie does it very well. I found that the reactions to the possible finding of the Christ's tomb to be intriguing. The Catholic Church has told the investigator that the bones in the tomb ARE NOT the bones of the Christ, whatever he finds out.

Each side in this story wishes to use the bones in any way that will be advantageous to themselves. The reality of the bones is immaterial to all of them.

Christ said that "the truth will set you free." In this movie it shows that when it comes to politics, the truth is whatever will get people to follow what you want them to follow.

World Religion Movie Review By Vivian

[user-387-238313 · 7/10 · 3 June 2012]

The Body is a film beginning with an Israeli archaeologist named Sharon Golban (played by Olivia Williams) who discovers a hidden tomb in Jerusalem with bones that could possibly be those of Jesus Christ. The Vatican sends Father Matt Gutierrez (played by Antonio Banderas) with the sole purpose of proving that the bones do not belong to Christ. I first watched The Body a few years ago for a biblical traditions class, and didn't understand the concepts very well. I simply watched the movie with eyes for entertainment rather than learning, and in terms of religion, I couldn't fully grasp the consequences of what would happen if a person found the bones of Jesus Christ. However, after taking another religion of world religions, I was able to understand the second time when I watched The Body, why so many various groups were affected by this one possible discovery. This movie dives deep into the issue of issue of faith, especially the faith of Father Matt Gutierrez, who struggles between this duty to the Vatican and his duty to God and his beliefs. Watching this film, I also learned a great deal more about Christianity, as it focused a great deal on the details of Christ's death, as the gospels had stated. What I loved the most about the film was that it didn't just focus on the effects of the discovery on only Christians, but also brought in the viewpoints and backgrounds of Judaism and Islam; also not focusing only on the effect religiously, but also politically and scientifically, explaining various points about archaeology and evidence. In The Body, the effects of the discovery of bones that were possibly those of Christ's were not only explored in groups, but with individuals themselves. For Father Matt Gutierrez, he was forced to question whether he consistently denied the possibility of the bones being Christ's, due to the Vatican stressing the need to stand by that belief or if it was due to his own personal beliefs and faith. The film also connects to the present ongoing battle between Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the fight for control over the Holy Land. One of the main problems that I had about the film was that although throughout the film, new questions constantly began to rise, by the end of the film, most of those questions had gone unanswered, leaving me with many new unanswered questions. When the film ends, I am still greatly questioning the background and origins behind the bones found by the archaeologist. Overall however, The Body was a film that was both educational and entertaining to watch. Not only did it present an interesting and capturing story plot, but I learned a great deal more about several religions, like Judaism, Islam, and especially Christianity, the many conflicts that arise from a possible discovery of the bones of Christ, and finally the internal struggles that individuals are presented with regarding their faith and what they believe.

A boring movie with pathetic performances

[GIARDINA-3 · 3/10 · 16 April 2001]

What can be said about this movie? A bore would be appropriate. This movie lacks everything from a good screenplay to a gifted direction. Performances were bellow average, specially the one by Antonio Banderas. I was ashamed to see him acting in such a poor way. One advice about this movie: BEWARE!

Religion and Politics

[rmax304823 · 9 May 2003]

Well, an Israeli widow, Olivia Williams, uncovers a hidden tomb in Jerusalem, and there is some suggestion that it might be that of Christ. This causes a considerable stir in the Vatican because, after all, Christ's body shouldn't be there unless he was an ordinary man. So they send Father Antonio Banderas down there to investigate, telling him ahead of time, so that he doesn't misunderstand his mission, that "the body is not that of Christ."

Banderas and Williams form at first a kind of mismatched cop/buddy team, he instense and inhibited, she breezily outgoing and scientific. But they soon run into trouble that pulls them together in their goals. I admit I didn't understand all of the reasons why so many groups wanted to interfere with the investigation or to exploit the find for political purposes. The first trouble they run into is an orthodox Jewish sect whose members bombard them with rocks and steal an important artifact. Then there is the leader of a Palestinian group, the PLO, I mean the FLP, or rather the PDQ. He wants his henchmen to get their hands on the bones. I forget why but I'm sure the purpose is nefarious. You can tell because he's got a face on him like the assassin in Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much." And you can identify his thugs when you see them because they're all swarthier than everybody else. The head Israeli honcho in this business, Shrapnel, informs the Vatican that as soon as Jerusalem is recognized as the sole capital of a united country, the bones will be released. (I understood that.) This all leads to a final semi-violent confrontation between the PDQ leader and the priest, in which the latter is wounded and the former is blown to smithereens. Oh, that reminds me, there is some comic relief from a sloppy young Irish priest who is a computer hacker. The question of whose body it is, is resolved at the end, but nobody in the movie finds out about it, only the viewer. Father Banderas resigns his commission and decides to follow God in his own way. He writes a very nice letter to Williams, but the movie stops short of having them fall into each other's arms. Let's not disturb anybody by raising REAL problems. (Are we going to observe Shabbat? How are we going to raise the kids?)

The photography is okay, and it's an interesting exploration of modern Israel and the political and ethnic maelstrom that it is, while at the same time much less didactic than "Exodus," which might have been called "Zionism for Dummies." The acting is better than one might expect. Antonio Banderas has a sympatico appearance. He exudes sincerity in this part. And he's not a bad actor, the kind of ordinary man who engages us without being particularly glamorous, the way some European actors like Jean-Louis Trintignant or Jean Moreau do. Olivia Williams isn't quite as convincing but she is very sexy and appealing, and looks the part of a 30-ish practical-minded Israeli woman, worn but warm. She almost, but not quite, gives Banderas some chicken soup one night. The musical score sounds like it's from a stock library somewhere, from a file labeled "Suspense music." Shrapnel looks the part of the Israeli honcho too. He sounds uncannily like Paul Stewart.

This isn't a puzzle that I find particularly interesting, although I don't know why. Religious belief leads so regularly to violence and intrigue. But I don't really think that if a body were positively identified as Christ's it would change things very much. Cognitive dissonance theory suggests that, if anything, it would strengthen our beliefs in some way. (Cf., "When Prophecy Fails.") The problem would at least be papered over somehow. I'm happy that I watched it, I suppose, if only because of Olivia Williams and Antonio Banderas, both of whom are worth watching, for somewhat different reasons, but in fact I did spend two hours following this complicated story and may just be reducing post-decision dissonance.

This is far from excellent.

[Kazuhisa · 2/10 · 26 October 2001]

I regreted I'd watched this movie as soon as I finished watching it. I wasted my money and time. This movie is just sickening.

Antonio is one of my favorite actors and I usually like this kind of movies. But this one is no exciting nor horrifying. Very boring. Maybe I didn't enjoy following the plot more correctly saying.

Though I usually tell my friends about good movies I've seen, I know I won't recommend this one to them. No excellence is found in this movie.

I believe in the resurrection of the dead.

[epyle_registry · 7/10 · 5 November 2005]

I've seen the movie The Body a number of times now in the context of discussion groups. How important is it to the Christian faith that Jesus was actually raised from the dead and that his tomb was actually empty? How should faith investigate evidence to the contrary? Secular Science says "Truth, even at the expense of faith." The Politics of Religion prophecies Christianity will survive despite (or worse, because of) evidence to the contrary.

As the plot unfolds, the death of the god Jesus becomes more and more a reality to skeptic (Sharon) and faithful (Gutierrez) alike. Together, the dual competing 'truth' seekers suffer between the hands of dual competing political-recognition seekers: Israeli and Palestinean authorities seek political recognition from the Roman Catholic church. Thus, the Catholic church takes on a form of Antichrist, who gains power as the truth and power of Jesus' resurrection becomes more and more doubtful. Satan strikes with a double-edged sword: one edge seeks to destroy the hope of Christ by the pursuit of truth with a secular heart, the other seeks to preserve "Christ" by participating in a game of ransom with the body for political security.

Father Lavelle gives into the force of the former. Torn between his identity in the church as a priest, and his identity as a scientist to allow for the possibility that Christ was not raised, he finally yields to scientific evidence, loses all hope in Jesus, and takes his own life, Judas-like. Father Gutierrez, in comparison, resembles Peter, whose child-like faith seems strong up to the end, when his spirit, plagued by the evidence, turns to religious apathy and guilt, and his relationship with Sharon becomes questionably intimate.

In the end, Father Gutierrez receives "good news": The truthfulness of Jesus resurrection itself receives resurrection. This first proclamation of gospel, however, is unsatisfying. The dialog is brief, mysterious, and begs for further explanation and confirmation. The viewer is left with the strong need for concrete and conclusive evidence.

One major character is left unfilled by the movie's paid actors. In the end, viewers will realize that the movie has casted them for the role of Thomas: We are the ones shown the indisputable evidence that we really longed for. Yet such evidence does not come without an ironic final rebuke from Jesus himself: "Blessed are those who believe and yet have not seen."

Very Dissapointing

[LoayOmran · 1/10 · 31 July 2001]

The Body is a boring movie that attempts to join the new trend of movies that tackle the issue of religion and the anti-christ, christ-related stories ..etc This movie fails greatly. The story is quite stupid and naive. A priest leaves to Jerusalem, on a secret mission, to investigate the discovery of a body, a discovery that threats the whole Christian faith. Banderas, in his worst movie to date, fails to deliver. What we get instead is: Stupid action scenes, a boring "love story" that doesn't fit in the movie, and whats even more sarcastic is that the movie attempts to send a Political message that "Religion has no Place in Politics". Well I have two advises. One: Let the cast of this movie watch "Stigmata". Two: "This Body has no place in my Movie Library". Plain Rubbish 0/10

Fairly entertaining archeological drama

[PeachesIR · 7/10 · 3 October 2023]

"The Body" is a fairly entertaining suspense drama set in the crosshairs of religious, political, ethno-cultural tension, Jerusalem. Archaeologist Sharon Golban, played by Olivia Williams, is a UK-born Jewish oleh who married an Israeli military officer, now deceased, who discovers a 1st century AD tomb that contains the skeletal remains of a crucified man. Because the nature of the wounds detected on the remains and other artifacts in the tomb, she and archeologist/priest Father Lavelle (Derek Jacobi) believe it may be the remains of Christ. At the Vatican, a deeply concerned cardinal (John Wood) assigns priest/historian Fr. Matt Gutierrez (Antonio Banderas) to go to Israel to investigate. The cardinal strongly insists that the young, idealistic priest debunk the theory and preserve the traditional tale of the Resurrection as gospel.

"The Body" seems low-budget in its sets, lighting and cinematography, but the cast features several well-known, respected actors who turn in good performances. The script seems a bit thin, with lots of cultural and religious stereotypes and plot twists that are too obvious. However, it's entertaining and touches on timeless, meaningful themes. What preserves our faith? How much faith must we place in historical accounts to support that faith? How is faith jeopardized by religious organizations holding too much power? And, hey, this film tosses the Israeli-Palestinian political conflict into the mix to ramp up the volatility even more.

I found both Banderas and Williams likable in their roles, and if you're willing to suspend a bit of disbelief when the script stretches too thin, "The Body" is an interesting weeknight watch.

Fumble on the Goal Line - The Body

[arthur_tafero · 4/10 · 24 July 2019]

This could have been a good movie. It had great cinematography, decent actors, and an interesting plot. Unfortunately, the screenplay is a complete mess. It was written by a complete amateur, who knows nothing of the real mechanisms of major religions. Jews and Arabs could care less if the body of Christ was discovered. It would only be a boon to both of those religions. Christianity would have a few problems among conservative and liberal elements, but eventually, it would have been a boon for them as well; inducing millions of Christians to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem and reinforcing Christian beliefs. Millions more Christians admired Jesus the man, rather than Jesus the god. The fact that he might have been human would only increase his popularity, not reduce it. The silly sex scene was gratuitous, as were the scenes of violence with the stereotypical Jews and Arabs. Even the Catholic scenes were stereotyped; The only believable person in the film was the archaeologist, although Banderas is a fine actor. This film had a chance to score a touchdown, but it fumbled the ball on the goal line.

Good film overall, bad ending

[quevaal · 7/10 · 5 August 2007]

Just saw this on TV now, and I thought it was a good one in exploring - quite realistically - what would happen if they truly found such a body. Politics and the clash of religion/science was very well done.

I wasn't too happy with the end though. It seemed like a compromise: "OK, so now we've rattled the believers here, let's call it a day and make them happy".

It not being Jesus, but "David"? Seems the Romans must have been on repeat, then. Complete with legs, spear, crown of thorns not to mention the victim even being a carpenter. Also, the priest was too much of an honest person not to lose his faith over this. People have lost their faith over smaller things than finding what they think are the bones of Jesus. I'd say that losing faith, while not spreading the word for the sake of the "millions of believers" would be more his way of doing it.

truely awful

[Xanadu · 1/10 · 26 December 2001]

I can't believe how bad this movie was. I can't believe the screenwriters could write such trash. Obviously they knew nothing about Christianity. They kept referring to Catholics as Christians. And they actually believe that finding the body of Christ would ruin all of Christianity? C'mon now, that is insane...that is something an ignorant non-believer would be so stupid to believe. And for the Father to do what he did without even questioning the questionable "proof?" How insane is that? People don't abandon their faiths from others jumping to conclusions. The sad part was that the mvoie wasn't even remotely entertaining. I've watched bad movies before, such as Starship Troopers, but that was somewhat entertaining. Everyone in this movie over-reacted to everything, especially about the Shroud of Turin. I'm so sorry that I rented this movie. I would like to get my money back. In fact, I'm going to Blockbuster right now and demand a refund. I wasted 1.5 hours of my life on this movie.

A flawed picture, but like a flawed diamond still shines asbright.

[ejmoise · 8/10 · 5 February 2001]

What ever sins the makers of this film may have purportrated with a misleading trailer and extraneous action scenes to attract an audience must be forgiven in light of the theme they have so clearly stated... "God Has No Place In Politics". If an artists duty is to hold up a mirror to mankind in order for him to see himself in a true light, than the filmakers have done their job well. One need only to turn on CNN to see what pawns lawmakers and religious leaders will sacrifice in order to further their earthly agendas. That Jerusalem is the pawn in "The Body", and in the nightly news makes this film even more relevant than it could have ever been intended to be by its creators. That it waxes and wanes between action, thriller, and serious drama can only be attributed to the hands of those willing to manipulate the price of a ticket out of our pockets. If that is the case, than so be it, because unlike most of the popcorn movies of today, the body has something to say. And flawed, or perfect, it says it loud and clear. From the terrorist bombings in the streets of Jerusalem, to Antonio Banderas' brave portrayal of a priest who loses his faith. "God Has No Place In Politics", a noble theme for a movie, and a warning for the years to come -- from Belfast to Jerusalem.

Body and soul

[tomsview · 7/10 · 15 January 2015]

This movie has an intriguing premise, is beautifully photographed and well acted, but just falls short of being exceptional due to a by-the-numbers terrorist sub-plot.

Did Jesus Christ rise on the third day? This story is based around the discovery of the skeleton of a crucified man hidden behind a secret wall in a recently excavated tomb in Jerusalem. When Jewish archaeologist, Dr. Sharon Galban, played by the elegantly beautiful Olivia Williams, discovers the remains, it sets off a chain of events involving the Israeli Government, the Roman Catholic Church and Palestinian terrorists. Concerned that the discovery will undermine the basic tenet of Christianity i.e. the divinity of Christ, the Church sends priest and ex-army intelligence officer, Father Matt Gutierrez (Antonio Banderas), to investigate.

The power of the film is in the taboo nature of the mystery. But when you think about it, the story of Jesus, even at its most traditional, is surrounded by great mystery - "The Body" merely taps into that mystique.

Based on a novel by Richard Sapir, this isn't the first story to feature a new revelation about the death of Christ. Irving Wallace in "The Word" and Robert Ludlum in "The Gemini Contenders" had a crack at it as did Robin Maugham in "The Sign". The big revelation is usually that Christ did not die on the cross in the accepted manner. Nearly all the novels involve violent reaction to this piece of news from vested interests. Some also include an opt-out option; even "The Body" leaves a touch of doubt in our minds as to the identification of the skeleton.

"The Body" is fascinating when it sticks to the attempts to understand the significance of the skeleton, and what it means for the Christian faith. I would have been happy if all the drama had been derived from that situation; Derek Jacobi as Father Lavelle epitomizes the inner conflict the discovery causes, and the scene where he can no longer live with the thought is quite eerie.

However, the filmmakers probably felt that keeping the film at such a cerebral level would lose a wider audience; so half of the film involves terrorists who are trying to control the discovery for their own ends. This aspect of the story almost feels like a different film and although the action scenes are well staged, they are also predictable.

Antonio Banderas handles the complex role well. He is a priest under pressure - tempted by weakness of faith on the one hand and weakness of the flesh on the other when he discovers that Dr. Galban's most interesting artefacts aren't all hidden in the tomb.

The powerful elements in "The Body" make up for the weaker ones, and technically it's hard to fault, with terrific locations, and an atmospheric score by Serge Colbert. I have watched it a couple of times now; it's intriguing central story gets me in every time.

Where's the beef?

[clave · 1/10 · 20 June 2001]

Dogma, Stigmata, The Third Miracle, and now, The Body. It seems that the Catholic church has replaced jihad warriors and found their place along with blind communists (that dear old evil empire) and nazi concentration camp officers as Hollywood new favorite villain. Get real! I mean, even the priests depicted in those pictures wear roman collars when most hip-clerics nowadays try to look as secular as they can: Is it possible to have a real, serious film about faith and church? This picture didn't even get megaplex treatment. I wouldn't be surprised to see "The Mummy III: Meeting Torquemada", where Brendan Fraser is joined by Antonio Banderas and Sinéad O'Connor to battle Imhotep and Pius XII, who forged an alliance to kill jews, feminists and other politically incorrect victims. If you really want to see a decent film on people's quest for the trascendental, look for "The Apostle", "Left Luggage", "Thérèse", "Il vangelo secondo Matteo" ... or go to Bluckbuster and rent "The Mission".