The Apostle (1997)

Featured Audience Ratings

• danny d

  
  an interesting study on the nature of spiritual authority and moral bankruptcy. duval is amazing, and the film covers its subject matter very well. as a pastor, its interesting to see how this character study correlates with the biblical qualifications for ministers and how far away… More
  an interesting study on the nature of spiritual authority and moral bankruptcy. duval is amazing, and the film covers its subject matter very well. as a pastor, its interesting to see how this character study correlates with the biblical qualifications for ministers and how far away from those qualifications a person can get and still convince people to follow them.

• Chris W

  
  This film was very much a personal project and great labor of love for it's writer, director, executive producer, and star Robert Duvall. Not onlt that, but it is an excellent film and a tremendous character study that is deeply moving and powerful. There are non-Pentecostal… More
  This film was very much a personal project and great labor of love for it's writer, director, executive producer, and star Robert Duvall. Not onlt that, but it is an excellent film and a tremendous character study that is deeply moving and powerful. There are non-Pentecostal Christians (and even some atheists) who love and enjoy this film. That really says something. The story concerns a devout and fired up southern Pentecostal preacher from Dallas named "Sonny" Dewey whose life falls apart, and he deals with it in not the best way for a man of his sort. He then leaves his old life behind and reinvents himself in the town of Bayou Boutte, Louisiana as the Apostle E F as he goes on a quest to rebuild his life and find redemption. As a filmmaker, Duvall isn't bad. I mean, given how long he'd been in the business, it figures that he should have some sort of knowledge about the craft of filmmaking. That said though, the film is not perfect. It has a generous run time, and some of the scenes are really stretched out. What he lacks in strong narrative skills he makes up for with a brilliant performance and some terrific mise-en-scene. Even though it does run long, the dragged out scenes allow for more breathing room for the characters and themes. Besides Duvall, the film is filled with many terrific performances from professionals and nonprofessionals alike. Beasley has a great rapport with Duvall as a fellow preacher who helps him get his new life going, and Goggins, despite maybe getting a too melodramatic towards the end, is also quite fine. Fawcett, Richardson, Thornton and Cash all deliver some important (though briefer than others) supporting parts as well. The actors all embody their characters well, and help due justice to the world being portrayed here. I myself am a Catholic, but have a friend who is from the same world as Sonny. He has told me several times that he loves this movie, and that it gives a very accurate and fair portrayal of these types of people and believers. Having witnessed stuff like this for myself (despite my Catholicism), I can believe it. This film, though taking a side, presents these types of preachers and their congregations in a realistic, sensible, and three-dimensional manner. The music, cinematography, all the sets, costumes, and setting are great, and this film is excellent entertainment. It has a great and powerful message, and presents some fascinating material in a way which encourages belief instead of mocking or condemning it. Definitely go out and give this a watch.

• Alice S

  
  What a beginning, and what an end! Robert Duvall doesn't hold back as the evangelical preacher. It seems like caricature at first, but he sustains the flailing, the stamping, the "Holy Ghost Power"-ing, that even this crusty atheist couldn't help but be moved at… More
  What a beginning, and what an end! Robert Duvall doesn't hold back as the evangelical preacher. It seems like caricature at first, but he sustains the flailing, the stamping, the "Holy Ghost Power"-ing, that even this crusty atheist couldn't help but be moved at Sonny's last hurrah.

• Derek D

  
  Financed, produced, directed and starring Oscar-winner Robert Duvall, this film is a down-home yet very grittty at times story of a disgraced preacher on the run from the police after beating his soon-to-be ex-wife's new boyfriend with a baseball bat at a baseball game. He makes… More
  Financed, produced, directed and starring Oscar-winner Robert Duvall, this film is a down-home yet very grittty at times story of a disgraced preacher on the run from the police after beating his soon-to-be ex-wife's new boyfriend with a baseball bat at a baseball game. He makes it down to Louisiana and starts a new life and new church with help from a retired pastor and some locals. Eventually, though, the law catches up with him at the end. Excellent performance by Duvall - one of his best - with a pretty good commentary track included as an extra.

• Bruce B

  
  You can't give this movie any less then 5 Stars, Robert Duvall plays the part of a old time southern preacher and he hits the mark 100 percent. This type of preaching is fading in this world today. This is the True Old South, and nothing wrong with that. After his wife start… More
  You can't give this movie any less then 5 Stars, Robert Duvall plays the part of a old time southern preacher and he hits the mark 100 percent. This type of preaching is fading in this world today. This is the True Old South, and nothing wrong with that. After his wife start shacking up with the Youth Minister, he rightfully so kicks the mans ass with a baseball bat. He then gives up all he has and goes on the road, to wind up in a small buyout town and here starts a new church. John Beasley plays an excellent part, as does the sinner getting saved Billy Bob Thornton. If you have been save in a Southern Church then this movie will mean a lot to you. 5 stars for all around acting on everyone part. Get a little enjoyment out of life and see this one NOW.

• Jason O

  
  I'm not a Christian yet and I don't watch that many religious-type movies, but I have to admit I was real impressed with "The Apostle." Robert Duvall gives one of the best performances any actor has ever given in any movie. He is convicted of a violent act and goes… More
  I'm not a Christian yet and I don't watch that many religious-type movies, but I have to admit I was real impressed with "The Apostle." Robert Duvall gives one of the best performances any actor has ever given in any movie. He is convicted of a violent act and goes on the road trying to get himself a place to preach. All the while, he gains support from friends, and even a few that are against him at first, for getting his own institution for preaching. Robert Duvall will make you think that he's really a preacher in real life by his performance. After watching this movie, I told everybody I knew that they should watch it cause it's a great movie. It made me want to learn more about Christianity and Jesus. Now I subscribe to a few devotionals in order to do so. If you're a Christian, there's not any doubt that you'll like this movie. I think most non-Christians like myself who keep an open mind about religion will also like it. It's one of the most inspirational and uplifting movies of all time. I think it's worth getting any day of the year. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000. I got saved in 2002 and am now a Christian, and this movie probably helped me make that decision. Definitely one way more people should see, regardless of their beliefs!

• Dan S

  
  A superb character piece and a dedicated, thoughtful look on American religion. Duvall gives one of the best lead performances I think I've ever seen, with strong support from Beasley, Goggins, and a scene-stealing Thornton. Even if your not religious, you'll learn something… More
  A superb character piece and a dedicated, thoughtful look on American religion. Duvall gives one of the best lead performances I think I've ever seen, with strong support from Beasley, Goggins, and a scene-stealing Thornton. Even if your not religious, you'll learn something about this movie, especially the struggles some pastors have to go through to maintain their godly image.

• Steve K

  
  Duvall is a powerhouse!

• jay n

  
  Endless and dull

• Jason V

  
  Robert Duvall is the heart and soul of The Apostle, preaching, crying, yelling and using all of his acting skills to convince us he is a southern preacher (with no relation to any of his other roles). This is a personal project for Duvall-he wrote, stars, and directs-and it shows; it… More
  Robert Duvall is the heart and soul of The Apostle, preaching, crying, yelling and using all of his acting skills to convince us he is a southern preacher (with no relation to any of his other roles). This is a personal project for Duvall-he wrote, stars, and directs-and it shows; it is unabashedly about religion and could only have been made outside the studio system. It takes a great leap of faith to buy into Duvall's Sonny communicating with a higher power since we can't see one part of that conversation and that may be, for me, the movie's greatest failing. He says God is leading him...yet how do we know? It's most likely not fair to ask that question since the entire premise of The Apostle relies on faith in what we can not see. The film carefully skirts most of the cliched issues one would expect to find in this story, though we do have the stereotypical racist, a late conversion and all that assorted hokum. But it's so well done on all sides it almost doesn't feel stereotypical. Almost.

• Dannielle A

  
  Some parts were unbearably long and boring but it is an accurate, fair portrayal of gospel-style churches in the deep South. The characters seem authentic and the problems they face are real.

• Alec B

  
  The film abandons traditional narrative and even scene construction in favor of more down to Earth realism, and the result is quiet remarkable. Robert Duvall's performance is something of a marvel, he could have made it more showy, but he makes this man so real. Its a great study… More
  The film abandons traditional narrative and even scene construction in favor of more down to Earth realism, and the result is quiet remarkable. Robert Duvall's performance is something of a marvel, he could have made it more showy, but he makes this man so real. Its a great study of a man and religion in the deep south.

• Stephen E

  
  Many filmmakers have written, directed, and starred in their own films. "The Apostle" represents the most sincere of them all. It is a film fueled by the passion of its star, Robert Duvall. This is obviously a story that he feels deserves to be told and you can tell that… More
  Many filmmakers have written, directed, and starred in their own films. "The Apostle" represents the most sincere of them all. It is a film fueled by the passion of its star, Robert Duvall. This is obviously a story that he feels deserves to be told and you can tell that he's put a lot of time and a lot of heart into it. Like most others, "The Apostle" has its share of flaws, but Duvall's relentlessly charismatic and fascinating portrayal of a man trying to get his life back on track hides most of them. Hell, they should've just given him the Oscar. No other actor that year was more enveloped in their character than he was.

• Sarah P

  
  It was an interesting look into one of the crazy world's of organized religion, but it was much too long and I didn't really get much out of it.

• Jojo S

  
  I felt I was in church service of the old South when I watched the film. The character is so complicated, I couldn't stop thinking about him even after the film's over.

• Leo L

  
  Interesting

Read all 16 featured audience ratings