Paul, Apostle of Christ

A somber, moving portrait of one of the early church's most significant figures, who led the way at a time when Christians were being burned alive in the streets of Rome, or condemned to death in the arena.

Largely devoid of sensationalism, a film that delves quietly into substantive issues of belief and forgiveness.

Fails to fully develop the stakes at hand, but it features more thoughtful world-building than most faith-based films, as well as a bracing honesty about the difficulty of reconciling idealistic credos with a harsh and unforgiving world.

A few minutes of thriller-like tension early on gives way to a lot of tediously scripted scenes of whisper-acting that rarely breathe life and humanity into what should be a potent turning point story in a religion's history.

The film's simple, redundant, but valuable moral lesson to its audience finds comfortable enough expression in an aesthetic that's banal but impressively consistent.

Caviezel gives a stoic performance as the brave and selfless Luke. Lynch and Whalley are excellent as the husband and wife Christian community leaders Aquila and Priscilla. Costumes, sets, cinematography and editing are all first-rate.

There is something about its quietness that works with the story being told.

Approaches its story from a theology more familiar to those of the Catholic faith.

You can expect some violence and disturbing imagery, though nothing that will have you on the edge of your seat. But you won't have any tear-jerking moments in this somewhat disappointing film.

He [Andrew Hyatt] dilutes the dramatic impact of the events that shaped the man he was to become.