Created by Robert Duvall as a fiction film, but worth taking in as a documentary, 'The Apostle' is a striking commentary on contemporary Christian Americana. Duvall is Texas preacher Eulis 'Sonny' Dewey, whose irreverent lifestyle leads him away from his family, to a journey of self-discovery in the bayou lands of southern Louisiana.
It is difficult to resist the film's realistic portrayal of Pentecostal Christianity, which appeals on both religious and secular levels. The convincing performances by Duvall, Farrah Fawcett (as Dewey's wife) and Billy Bob Thornton constitute the rigid base on which everything else stands. Furthermore, the daring integration of actors and non-actors in a plethora of sequences throughout the film is so successful that it is virtually impossible to discern the directorial seams that hold this polished film together.
Direction, though, is far from flawless, and one gets the impression that more rigid editing could have added firmness on a somewhat stretched script. But the overall impact of these shortcomings on the film is limited, thanks mainly to the creative passion that visibly permeates the production of this fine effort. Worth watching, six stars out of ten.
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