Paul, Apostle of Christ (2018)

The story is familiar, even to non-religious folk: between AD 30-40, Saul of Tarsus, both a Jew and a Roman citizen, was traveling on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus,  bent on arresting the earliest disciples of Jesus Christ.  Saul had been especially dedicated to his mission to persecuting these earliest of Christians in and around Jerusalem.  Struck from his horse by the brightest of lights, the risen Christ appeared to him, asking point-blank why he continued to persecute those followers of His who He loved.  Struck blind by the light, Saul's vision was restored by Ananias of Damascus-a disciple of Jesus-after three days.
Saul-who according to Christian tradition would henceforth be known as Paul-went from being Christ's follower's greatest tormenter, to their staunchest of advocates.  He is considered an apostle (not one of the original twelve) and one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age.  Over the course of about 30 years, Paul would travel more than 10000 miles, founding several long-lasting Christian communities in Europe and Asia Minor.
These events are well-documented in the Bible, in the New Testament, in the chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, by Luke the Evangelist (St. Luke) one of the four traditionally ascribed authors of the gospels of the New Testament of the Bible.  Luke is referred to as a physician in Paul's Letter to the Colossians in the New Testament.  Luke is believed to have been a Greek from the city of Antioch of ancient Syria, uniquely marking him as a Gentile amongst the four gospel writers.  Luke is also thought to have been a disciple of Paul.
Paul, Apostle of Christ (2018) is a recent film with both St. Paul (played by Shakespearean actor and Game of Thrones alum James Faulkner) and St. Luke (Jim Caviezel, The Passion of the Christ and tv's Person of Interest) as central characters.  Much of the story takes place during Paul's time in his later years spent as a prisoner of Emperor Nero of Rome, around AD 67.  There are also various flashbacks depicted of Paul's past, including a scene of his dramatic conversion.
Paul is held in Mamertine Prison on Rome, sentenced to death as a Christian agitator, as a scapegoat of sorts for the burning down of half the city.  Luke is able to utilize his contacts in the Roman hierarchy in order to be by Paul's side during his imprisonment (as mentioned in scripture, Luke was the only one in jail with him at the time) and help document his story.  Much of Paul's story would be transcribed in Acts by Luke, and we see here in this film the beginnings of this documentation and dissemination.
At Mamertine, Paul interacts with his jailer, the Roman prefect Mauritius (Olivier Martinez.) There is an important sub-plot revolving around the health of Mauritius' daughter, who is dying of a mysterious illness.  Mauritius, a pagan, repeatedly refuses to allow the Christian Luke to use his considerable medical skills to help his daughter.  Mauritius becomes intrigued by these persecuted Christians and their one God.  He is especially curious how a man so old, weak-looking and physically un-imposing as Paul is depicted here, can fill his Emperor Nero with such fear and paranoia-enough to have him blame the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64 on Paul and the Christians.
We also get a detailed, first century period-accurate look at the hidden and persecuted early Christian community during the time of Nero's persecutions.  These Christians walk in fear of being arrested and/or beaten up on the street by Roman soldiers at any time.  They are shown subject to such barbaric treatment as being tied up, doused with oil, and burned alive-illuminating the streets of the city as literal "Roman candles."  There is also the ever-present threat of being led into the Roman arenas, to be fed to the lions-or enduring similar savage deaths-all in the guise of entertainment for the citizenry.
Meanwhile, two individuals named in Scripture, Priscilla (Joanne Whalley) and her husband Aquilla (John Lynch) help lead and aid these persecuted Christians in their hidden lair within the city.  They are instrumental in aiding Luke in his physical and spiritual ministry.  They are also faced with the difficult choice of whether to abandon Rome to it's fate, or flee with their companions and charges to a new, relatively safer abode in Ephesus.  The prospect of leaving the city covertly and safely is fraught with dangers, and a major plot-point of the movie.
All of these loose story ends are tied up very nicely by the end of the film.  The ending for Paul himself, where he faces his ultimate beheading (as a Roman citizen, he had the right to that type of death) with such grace, is particularly emotional and powerful for the viewer.  So too, the moment Paul finally "meets his maker."  We really do get a sense why Paul and other Christians would give their lives for Christ (who, it should be noted, walked the earth only thirty or so years beforehand-not much time enough for false myths to be ingrained in the prevailing culture.)
Director and writer Andrew Hyatt brings us this movie with an astute and skillful touch.  As mentioned in the accompanying documentaries on the DVD,  Hyatt himself was a lapsed Catholic for many years into his twenties, when he experienced a profound religious conversion, not unlike Paul's.    After being led into a life of sin that culminated in debauchery leading up to a hotel room in Toronto at the site of the film festival there, Hyatt literally heard a voice from Heaven, asking him to make a choice on whether to turn his life around.  From then on, Hyatt decided to re-dedicate his life to Christ, and became intent on making this very personal movie on St. Paul, in particular.
The producers of the film lobbied hard for this movie to be made on the island of Malta, and it proves to be a very wise decision here.  The existing structures and natural topography of the island lend themselves well to a first-century environment.  The look of other film productions of the past that filmed on Malta, including Gladiator (2000) and Troy (2004) and the current HBO tv series Game of Thrones, inspired the producers in their choice of locale.  Likewise, some of the best-in-the-business crew, many left-over from shooting Game of Thrones, lend their considerable talents to the filming and production of Paul, Apostle of Christ.
Catholic Christian viewers especially will like scenes in this movie depicting the distribution of the Eucharist, and recitation of the Lord's Prayer by early followers of Christ.   Hyatt is careful to construct his narrative primarily around Scripture itself.  He does court trouble, however, when he tries to fill in gaps in the narrative with conjecture and speculation.  What said Catholic Christian viewers won't appreciate so much, is the director's choice to depict whole verses and Scripture passages originating from Paul's conversations with Luke and others.
Though there is a prevailing theme of adherence to non-violent methods in the film-particularly on the part of the Christians-there are various scenes of torture, brutality, and gory images in this movie.  These scenes are all PG-13 rated, though, and nowhere near as shocking as what we get in a movie such as, say, The Passion of the Christ.  Speaking of The Passion, it is wonderful to see Jim Caveziel in another religious-themed film.  Caviezel, as Luke, looks and acts significantly different in this movie, than in his previous, most famous role as Jesus.  He brings a quiet, commanding strength to Luke here, and is an obvious stand-out in the cast.
Likewise, veteran actor James Faulkner is such a pleasant surprise and joy to watch in the title role.  Though he shares center stage with Caviezel's Luke here, Faulkner, with his authoritative voice, presence, long beard and shaved head, might as well be Paul incarnate.  I look forward to watching future films/shows in which he appears.