The Apostle (1997) Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQe1Kehx110

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED

When trying to do right by others for so long, it’ll be hard to figure out how to do the same for yourself.


PLOT


1997’s The Apostle follows a Pentecostal preacher man named Euliss F Dewey aka Sonny, who lives in Texas with his wife Jessie and two children. His life turns upside down when finding Jessie cheat on him with a youth minister Horace (Todd Allen) and when she refuses to reconcile, She conspires the church’s bylaws to have him removed from power. Many take his side in the dispute but rather than leave quietly, he has a drunken fit and assaults Horace with a baseball bat in the middle of his kids’ bible camp softball game, who would then die from the wounds. Rather than face the consequences, he flees and ditches his car in a river, starting a new life by getting rid of all evidence of his past. He then reaches Louisiana where he’d baptize himself and meet a retired minister named Blackmall and asks for his help to start a new church. With money made from odd jobs to build the church, he gets radio station to preach, where he’d start dating the receptionist Toosie (Miranda Richardson). That relationship would be temporary however when later spotting her reconcile with her husband. His church would be so popular that it would be racially integrated. This would get the attention of a racist construction worker who intends to destroy it, until his words convince him to convert to Christianity. Sonny’s popularity would soon cost him because Jessie would hear his sermon on the radio and call the police of his whereabouts. The cops would show up in the midst of an evening service and when seeing this, he would tell his flock that he has to go. The film would end with a time jump that Sonny would be serving time under a chain gang, preaching to inmates while working along a highway.


THOUGHTS


For most cinephiles, you would know that Robert Duvall had been consistent of an actor since the 60s, which felt like a full circle moment seeing him star in something he would write and direct. This was not his directorial debut, but it sure caught everyone’s eye at the time as it should because it fits into the mold as something quite grounded. Through Barry Markowitz’s cinematography, Duvall gives a one man show of a performance as Sonny, scoring him his fifth acting Oscar nomination, who has all the charisma in the world to win people over with his words, but has the worst setback come heartbreak. He had the right to be upset that his wife betrayed him, and you’d likely be fuming too seeing Farrah Fawcett portray Jessie as a cold woman in her own right, but the protagonist undoubtedly overreacted when attacking the lover and running away from his problem. He took a big leap in making his own church without even knowing how long he’d get to enjoy paying it forward, but his impulsiveness teaches us that no matter how good you want to be, you have to still take accountability for your mistakes. He was severely genuine when it came to being so faithful with his beliefs, as he questioned every minute when betrayed, yet chose to use his work to keep him in denial. As it is troublesome to see someone try to have it both ways, you are still moved on how his words inspire others. John Beasley was sweet when playing Blackwell as pivotal supportive and Walton Goggins was great when portraying the protege Sam as a receptive follower who was likely most heartbroken when seeing Sonny leave, the pinnacle moment of this move goes to when the troublemaking contractor was involved. Duvall makes an incredible acting lesson with the latter played by Billy Bob Thornton because as he starts out as a radical until losing all his hostility to accept how much he truly wanted to be saved of his inner demons. The fact that a fellow sinner was able to absolve another from his own was beautiful because it teaches that anyone can find redemption as long as they really want it. Sonny definitely wanted to own up to his mistakes, since he was heartbroken upon learning his mom died in his absence and calling Jessie without saying a word was the closest he could to apologizing, but just never felt ready to do so. So when the cops pulled up, he finally accepted it was time pay for it all and if there was any bright side to it, he still gets to move as he wants to. In short, The Apostle is one of those compelling dramas that’ll surprise you as long as you pay attention to the point it’s trying to make. If you’re into those kind of dramas, check this out.