Risen

Risen – When a man is crucified and his death is unusual, Roman Tribune, Clavius, is tasked with investigating (and crushing) rumours of the man’s prophesized resurrection. With each witness consistently giving testimony that seems impossible, Clavius’ conviction in his own religion and notion that these stories couldn’t possibly be true begin to falter… 

Risen (2016) – Director: Kevin Reynolds

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48758697

Rating: 12

Running Length: 107 mins

Starring: Joseph Fiennes, Tom Felton, Cliff Curtis

Genre: Biblical, Period, Drama

REVIEW: ‘RISEN’

For a tale as old as Christianity, making an original movie based on Christ’s death isn’t easy. Rather than the usual perspective from those who are total believers, ‘Risen’ is set after Christ has died (he is first seen dead on the cross) and the protagonist is a Mars worshipping Roman who has no interest in the Christian message. Clavius, (played brilliantly with strength, subtlety and nuance by Ralph Fiennes) is the Tribune who reports to Pontius Pilate and is tasked to quash rumours of the resurrection of a Jew named Yeshua before Emperor Tiberius arrives. He is also given rookie soldier, Lucius (Tom Felton) to help in the investigation.

Unusually sticking closely to the series of events in the gospels, ‘Risen’ has some excellent attention to detail. Where other depictions in other media show the Roman soldiers taking great pleasure in the suffering of their victims, the soldiers here don’t. Despite their professionalism and need to follow orders, they clearly are appalled and horrified by the crucifixions and just want to get things over with as quickly as possible. Christ (played by the always reliable but in this case underused Cliff Curtis) seems far more like an ordinary Jew of the time than the beautiful European cliché audiences are becoming increasingly bored with.

It is a real shame that Felton’s Lucius doesn’t have more screen time; his introduction promises a character who will develop for better or worse over time and his brief scenes with Fiennes show his acting ability, he just isn’t given the scope to shine. Also, while some of the disciples are known to have been idealists, the movie takes the wrong decision to make them so child-like in their behaviour. Bartholomew in particular is so wide-eyed with wonder that he comes across as unbelievably naïve. 

Clavius’ investigations are genuinely interesting and, with each testimony, the truth becomes increasingly difficult to ignore. Could this man really have been the prophesized Messiah? The movie does answer the question according to its own story but not until enough groundwork has been made for what happens to Clavius to be realistic. Although it quickly becomes all about Clavius’ journey, Fiennes carries it effortlessly and ‘Risen’, despite its faults, makes for an interesting take on one of religion’s best known stories.

CONTENT: IS ‘RISEN’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

There is a battle near the beginning of the movie which includes many deaths, mostly by stabbing with swords. Most of them are either not shown on screen or are quickly cut away from and no blood is seen initially. However, towards the end of the scene, a man is stabbed in the leg and, as the sword is swiftly pulled out, there is a large spurt of blood. There are some more killings that show some blood but these moments are brief and not gory. A man (presumably the leader of the defeated army) is brought before Clavius. This man doesn’t fear death and doesn’t show any fear so his quick dispatch shouldn’t be too upsetting for kids.

Clavius and his superior, Pontius Pilate, talk about a man who has been causing trouble among the people. Pilate casually states ‘I had to crucify him!’ he then tells Clavius to ‘Do this Nazarene a small mercy, break his legs’

Three crucified men are seen from behind. One has already died, the others cry out in pain. One of the soldiers is distressed by the suffering and says ‘I hate it when they scream, it can last for days!’ Blood is seen on the posts they are on but otherwise nothing particularly gory is seen. However there is a close-up of the dead man whose eyes are open. The living men have their legs broken which isn’t shown on screen but cracking sounds are heard and as well as their agonised cries. One of the other men takes their last breath and the other is kindly urged to ‘let go’, he takes a few pained breaths but quickly succumbs.

The men who were guarding Christ’s tomb leave their posts, accidentally allowing the body to disappear. Pilate is angry, saying ‘I want them lashed – to death preferably!’ These men are given sanctuary and are unable to be arrested, however when Clavius goes to speak to them, only one is willing and he is afraid. Clavius tells him that ‘Sleeping on post means death’ but that he will be spared if he tells the truth. The story he tells is full of holes and is clearly untrue so at this point, it seems likely that this man will be put to death if he leaves the sanctuary.

Clavius tells another character about one of his battles saying ‘Some dozen of our men were caught and dragged up into the hills. Later… we heard them screaming and looked up to see them staked out on the ridgetops so we could watch’.

One of the disciples is brought before Clavius to give his testimony and tells him that he ‘would happily submit’ to being crucified. As he wasn’t there to see Christ’s death, he doesn’t actually know how terrible a death it is. Clavius then graphically describes the process to him which clearly scares him.

A dead body is shown which has been burned. There are graphic close ups of wounds the person received before death.

A character who has suffered crucifixion but lives encourages others to see and touch his wounds. There are close-ups of these wounds but they have mostly healed and are not too graphic.

A leper is watched being chased away and beaten with a stick.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘RISEN’ FOR KIDS?

‘Risen’ does have some pacing and narrative flaws, but its original perspective and Fiennes’ strong performance easily overshadow its failings and makes a fascinating and entertaining movie. Due to some violence and suffering, we recommend this movie for kids aged 12 and over.

• Violence: 3/5
• Emotional Distress: 4/5 (while the imagery isn’t overly graphic, the suffering seen and heard by some of the victims could be very distressing)
• Fear Factor: 2/5 (threats of execution of various characters, especially those who appear ‘nice’ may be upsetting)
• Sexual Content: 2/5 (a female character is referred to as ‘A woman of the street’. A room full of men are asked if any of them know her and all of them put up their hands)
• Bad Language: 0/5
• Dialogue: 4/5 (a character believes a woman to be a witch and casually asks if he should have her stoned)
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of Christ’s death and resurrection, seeking the truth, re-evaluating what you hold to be true, naivete, Roman punishments, martyrdom, following a dangerous path and faith.

Words by Laura Record

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