One for the American Bible Belt, Risen is the story of the resurrection as told through the eyes of a non-believer. Clavius (Joseph Fiennes), a powerful Roman military leader and his aide, Lucius (Tom Felton), are tasked with solving the mystery of what happened to Jesus (referred to by the Hebrew name Yeshua) in the weeks following the crucifixion. The intent is to disprove rumours of a risen Messiah and prevent an uprising in Jerusalem.
The biblical account of the crucifixion and resurrection has been portrayed on the big screen many times, so writer and director Kevin Reynolds (Prince of Thieves) was determined to bring a fresh approach to the story. In contrast to previous versions, including Cecil B. DeMille’s 1927 silent film The King of Kings, The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) and The Passion of the Christ (2004), Reynolds imagined the narrative through the eyes of a skeptic.Clavius is really confused about the crazy goings on in Judea. When Jesus’ body disappears, he is told to find it.
Seen through the eyes of someone who isn’t religious, I can only say what I saw was an attempt at recreating an earnest fairytale. The brutality of the times is the first thing that strikes you. Human life appeared to hold little value.
Fiennes, as Clavius, is an ambitious, hard-nosed man looking for greater position. He has spent 25 years serving the Roman army. Tenacious and not suffering fools gladly, he does what is necessary to cement his worth. In this case though, finding Jesus’ corpse is not about furthering his political or religious agenda, just about following orders. But then the skeptic undergoes an epiphany and slowly but surely he lets down his guard.
As Fiennes puts it: “Clavius arrives at a crossroad where he realises there might be a life beyond everything he knew before, something outside … his previous conditioning.” Fiennes says he liked the fact that the story “came across as an extraordinary murder mystery”. Yes, you can call what happens extraordinary, but settings and sets aside I am afraid I didn’t buy into it. I saw it as a far-fetched telemovie, if not for the involvement of Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love), who is largely stony-faced throughout.
There were plenty of people running around and slaying one another and fearing the might of the Romans, but Jesus disappearing and reappearing again and again was an unconvincing sleight of hand. Reading the bible story is enough. There is no need to see this modern interpretation. Rated M, Risen scores a 5 out of 10.
Director: Kevin Reynolds
Cast: Joseph Fiennes, Tom Felton, Cliff Curtis
Release Date: 18 February 2016
Rating: M – Violence and some disturbing images
Alex First
David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb and a contributor on film and television
