PAUL, APOSTLE OF CHRIST
A soul-stirring portrait of faith expressing itself through love.
Should You Watch It?
This is a profound, inspiring movie about Paul’s last days in a Roman prison and Luke’s effort to visit him and write about his missionary work. The acting is superb, and the dialogue beautifully uses passages from the Gospels, Acts, and Paul’s letters.
The first act is somewhat slow and unclear, but the second and third acts become riveting, inspiring, and profound. The movie’s central message is that Christian love is the proper response to persecution and can soften people’s hearts. It also encourages viewers to obey God rather than simply follow their own desires.
If your family includes older children who can handle brief violent images, this is worth seeing.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESIn A.D. 67, Luke secretly enters Rome while Nero is persecuting Christians. He brings money to a hidden Christian community and bribes a prison guard so he can visit Paul, who is condemned to be executed.
As Luke and Paul talk, Luke begins writing about Paul’s conversion and missionary travels. Outside the prison, the Christians debate whether to remain in Rome or flee, while one young convert considers responding to Roman cruelty with violence.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this is a highly successful film with only a notable early weakness. The acting is superb throughout, and the dialogue is brilliantly written. Biblical passages are used beautifully to punctuate the plot rather than overwhelm it.
The first act is not as clear or direct as it could be, and some portions are talky. But the second and third acts are great, leading to an inspiring, absorbing, and soul-stirring climax and ending. The film may motivate viewers to learn more about the New Testament, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and Christian faith.
The Worldview
The film presents a very strong Christian, biblical worldview. It teaches that faith in Jesus saves people from sin, that Christians should love their neighbors and enemies, and that love and kindness are proper responses to persecution, even violent persecution.
Its central proposition is that love softens people’s hearts. The movie also teaches that Christians should obey God or Jesus Christ rather than follow the desires of their hearts. It is not directly evangelistic, but it presents the words of Jesus and the writings of Luke and Paul as sources of spiritual and moral truth.
The film’s central longing is for Christians to respond faithfully when suffering and persecution threaten them. “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6, NIV).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Very strong Christian, biblical worldview teaching Christian, biblical values such as love softens hearts, faith in Jesus saves us from sin, love thy neighbor and thy enemy, and love and kindness are the proper response to persecution, even violent persecution
Foul Language
No foul language, a couple exclamatory appeals to God using the words My God!
Violence
Brief strong and light violence includes Paul is whipped in one scene, Paul’s body moves awkwardly because of beatings and floggings he suffered in the past, images of ashen corpses used for human torches, a scene shows a Christian being doused with oil of some kind so Roman soldiers can burn him alive and movie cuts away to people’s reactions as man screams, Stephen is stoned, Paul is haunted by images of blood on his hands from Stephen’s stoning, Roman couple has blood on their hands from two animal sacrifices to their gods designed to beseech the gods to heal their terribly sick daughter
Sex
Very, very light reference to an apparent street prostitute as Luke passes by her on the streets of Ancient Rome
Nudity
Brief upper male nudity
Alcohol Use
No alcohol use
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No smoking or drugs;
Miscellaneous Immorality
Nothing else really objectionable, though one character decides to ignore the Christian message of love and fight against the brutal persecution of Christians by the Romans under Nero.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
When faced with cruel persecution, the Christians debate whether to flee, fight, or remain faithful. What does Jesus teach about loving enemies?
Matthew 5:44 · Romans 12:19–21The film says that love can soften people’s hearts. When have kindness or love changed the direction of a difficult situation?
Proverbs 15:1 · 1 Peter 3:8–9Paul knows he has been forgiven through Christ, even while remembering his past. How does the gospel speak to guilt and forgiveness?
1 Timothy 1:15–16 · 1 John 1:9What does it mean for faith to express itself through love in ordinary life?
Galatians 5:6 · James 2:14–17The Final Word
Superbly acted and beautifully written, this is a profound Christian drama with a slightly unclear first act and brief violent images. Its message about faith, love, and persecution is worth discussing with older children and adults. WORTH THE TRIP — OLDER CHILDREN AND UP.
