Risen

Faith-based films have a habit of being a bit too preachy with their subject matter and oftentimes offer a rather unsensational story paired with an overbearing message. Risen surprisingly is neither of those as it tells the story of a Roman Centurion who leads an investigation after the body of Jesus disappears from his tomb following his crucifixion. It’s a familiar story told from an unfamiliar perspective.

Clavius (Joseph Fiennes) works directly under Pontius Pilate (Peter Firth) and is the Centurion responsible for overseeing the crucifixion of the so-called Jewish messiah, Yeshua (Cliff Curtis). In an effort to  to appease the Jewish zealots and squash any possible uprising by Yeshua’s followers, Clavius assigns guards to his tomb to prevent his body from being stolen. Regardless, after three days the tomb is blown open and Yeshua’s body is missing which, according to his teachings, means that he has risen from the dead. Clavius attempts to find those responsible for stealing the corpse and discovers the impossible when he sees that Yeshua is indeed alive again. In an instant, everything he previously believed in is tested.

Most everyone knows the story of Jesus and his resurrection, but it’s interesting to see the story be told from the point of view of a Roman Centurion. Joseph Fiennes starts off as just another soldier serving the Roman empire, but after he witnesses firsthand the resurrected Yeshua he decides to join the remaining disciples and follow his teachings. The story features all the hallmark moments from the Bible, like Jesus healing the leper and filling his disciples’ fishing nets with more fish than they can hold. The main difference is that it’s all seen from the perspective of curiosity and doubt.

The quality of Risen is actually pretty good, with solid performances from Joseph Fiennes and Cliff Curtis. Tom Felton also stars as Lucius, a fellow Centurion initially operating under Clavius who then takes his place once he goes AWOL. I was especially impressed by one scene in particular where one of the guards in charge of guarding Yeshua’s tomb recalls his story to Clavius. I imagine that if I just saw somebody rise from the dead I’d probably spend a good amount of time in a bar wondering what it was I just witness. The soldier’s story is half the rantings of a crazy person, and half the rantings of someone who has just had their beliefs shattered.

Risen is proof that it’s better to focus on telling a good story rather than trying to force beliefs down people’s throats. It’s not the greatest movie out there, but it’s one that’s well worth watching regardless of who or what you believe in.