[yasr_overall_rating]
Clavius, a powerful Roman Military Tribune, and his aide Lucius, are tasked with solving the mystery of what happened to Jesus in the weeks following the crucifixion, in order to disprove the rumors of a risen Messiah and prevent an uprising in Jerusalem.
In “Risen,” the crucifixion of Jesus is never shown. Unlike “The Passion of the Christ,” which revealed his execution in excruciating detail, that aspect of the story is over and done with as our movie begins. Clavius, a Roman Military Tribune, has just returned from battle when he is summoned by Pontius Pilate (Peter Firth). Upon his arrival, Pilate informs him that he has just put a Galilean to death, a man named Jesus, and whose disciples and followers claimed was the Messiah. At the request of Joseph of Arimathea, one of Jesus’ secret disciples, Pilate grants him permission to be buried in a tomb.
Clavius visits the burial place where Jesus’ body will be laid to rest and after surveying the location, he gives his approval whereby he is then buried in the rock-hewn tomb. The next day however, after Pilate is visited by the Sanhedrin, the Jewish judicial body who lobbied for his death, they claim that according to his followers, he will rise from the dead and ascend into heaven on the third day. Afraid that his people might steal his body, therefore ‘fulfilling’ Jesus’ prediction of rising on the third day, and quite possibly starting a revolution, they ask Pilate to dispatch a guard to watch over the tomb. Clavius assigns two Roman centurions but when they are nowhere to be found the next day, and Jesus has disappeared, Pilate tasks him with finding his body before panic spreads throughout Jerusalem.
While the movie closely follows the events that took place in the bible after Jesus’ crucifixion, the character of Clavius is completely fictional. What the filmmakers did here though, and quite ingeniously I might add, is they took these accounts and using Clavius as a point of reference, inserted him into these stories, in essence, putting us in his place and allowing us to see what unfolded, according to the scriptures. We are with the eleven Apostles as they travel to Galilee, their native country, where they meet Jesus and he gives them a commission to teach and baptize. When Clavius sees Jesus for the first time, surrounded by his Apostles, he retreats in horror, knowing that he had seen him dead on the cross just a few days prior. This moment begins his transformation from non-believer to believer.
And at its heart, that is what “Risen” is about. The central character is not Jesus, although he is the catalyst for what eventually converts Clavius into a disciple, it is the Roman Tribune himself, a man loyal to Rome but, at the same time, one who just wants to be able to retire to the country with a family, and live the rest of his days without any more violence. He is a good man, devoted to his beliefs but once he realizes that the stories he’d heard of, about a man being able to cure the sick and raise the dead, are true, even he does not know where his life will go from there.
Joseph Fiennes is perfect in the role of Clavius. He brings the right amount of fearlessness and valor one would expect from a Roman Tribune of that time, but when his whole belief system is turned upside down, his metamorphosis from confident and dauntless soldier, to apprehensive and irresolute nomad, is absolutely stellar. Tom Felton as Lucius, Clavius’ second-in-command, proves that he has indeed, successfully made the transformation from that of a child actor in the “Harry Potter” movies, to a believable and formidable presence in “Risen.” Kevin Reynolds, the director of the vastly enjoyable “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” and “Waterworld,” here demonstrates a masterful control of scope and vision, filling the movie with beautifully framed shots and a luscious score from composer Roque Baños.
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p style=”text-align: justify;”>In theaters February 19th
