O Apóstolo

The Apostle hit close to home for me. I spent me teenage years attending churches in the holiness tradition. Since about my senior year of high school, I have grown increasingly skeptical of the emotional and spiritual experiences displayed in these Pentecostal churches. Because of my skepticism, I am glad I watched this film. Maybe somewhere along the journey I dismissed the possibility that God manifests Himself to different people in different ways. In some ways it is easy to dismiss Sonny (Robert Duvall). He is a flawed man. He is divorced, full of lust, and a murderer. However, it is also clear that his faith is enormous and despite his struggles he sees God perform miracles in his mist. Residing within him together with all his shortcomings, Sonny is full of love for God and for other people, especially those who do not yet know Jesus. The amazing accomplishment of this movie is that it shows you Christ in the form of a sinful man. And you can really see it. Over the film's 2 hours and 14 minutes, the audience's love and concern for Sonny grows increasingly stronger. He is a real person; the real Christian everyone wishes they knew because even though they know he is a sinner they also know that he really has a relationship with the God he speaks of. I'm glad I watched this movie. I hope that I am more tolerable to other Christian traditions. I hope that I am more loving and real with people. I hope that in the mist of adversity, in the darkest valley, I know who is with me at all times…Jesus.

You can't help but being mesmerized by Robert Duvall in the title role. He must of seen a lot of southern preachers as he grew up, because he wrote this as well and the role suited him to a tee.

The supporting cast is fine, with Rick Dial and John Beasley getting kudos for their work, but the movie is first and foremost about The Apostle. If you like Robert Duvall as an actor, you will like this movie. His attention to detail in his roles is well known. He brings quirks and nuances to help flesh out his characters, and this role is no different.

The Apostle is a flawed man who can lift others up, but has trouble lifting himself up. And that contradiction is what gives this movie its flavor. All-in-all, a fine movie.

Robert Duvall did an excellent job bringing this film to life. The other 'actors' in the film also contribute to give "The Apostle" a realistic warmth rarely achieved in mainstream films. I refer to the cast as 'actors' because aside from numerous character actors, Duvall being one of the greatest, the film is inhabited by non-actors. In other words, the people in church, from the Holiness preachers to the warm small-town folk, are real people, not trained in acting. Duvall's story is engaging and beautiful in the way it shows the flaws amid great talent in a man who chooses for himself the calling of Apostle. I love this film, the accurate portrayal of some aspects of southern U.S. life and culture, and especially Duvall's performance.

Superior acting and a plot based on realism make this a classic movie of actual southern life ... a life that I experienced as a child and adolescent. Duvall's evangelist portrayal is not only convincing but eerie in the way it so fully represents many southern ministers of the gospel ... be they true believers or be they charlatans. I can't help but wonder if the cast was comprised of local folks ... or at least folks reared in the south ... rather than professional actors. They all did an excellent job contributing to the realism of this movie. I almost always enjoy a movie that "tells it like it is" ... and sofar, this is one of the most enjoyable I have ever seen.

I absolutely loved this movie and strongly recommended people in my own ministry to rent the video. From the very beginning you can tell this was not a "Hollywood movie" with the stereotypical preacher. It seems in the past, either the minister or priest is depicted as either the saintly sinless man (i.e. Father Flanagan in Boys Town) or as some perverse twisted child molester or monster. This simply portrays a man who loves God and His people with a pure heart but is a human being, subject to fall and make mistakes the same as anyone else. I especially enjoyed the flavor the extras gave the movie, as you could tell they were real people and not actors. The sound track to this movie was an added delight featuring a fine taste of Southern Gospel for us who have not been exposed to this kind of music too much. Put an Amen on it brother and give it a hearty hand clap for the Lord! : )