Risen

Risen is an 2016 film. The movie stars Joseph Fiennes. The supporting cast include Tom Felton, Peter Firth, Cliff Curtis, and María Botto. The movie starts at the end of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Joseph Fiennes plays a Roman Tribune, Clavius, who starts the movie by crushing a zealot revolt and heads back to Jerusalem. When Clavius arrives, he's immediately assigned to take care of Jesus at the crucifixion site. When he arrives, Jesus dies, and he assigns the two Roman Centurions to bury him. Overseeing the burial, he seals the tomb. Days later, Clavius is assigned to investigate the disappearance of Jesus's body from the tomb. Clavius finds people from around the city and questions them, eventually getting to Mary Magdalene. Clavius takes a special interest in Mary Magdalene, hoping that she will lead him to the body. Upon his investigation, he dives deeper into the lives of the followers of Jesus.

I was actually quite surprised at how much I liked this movie. Joseph Fiennes does an excellent job as the tired and over worked Roman Tribune on his quest to find the truth. The movie takes the story of Jesus and puts it in the eyes of someone else, in this case, a Roman. The interactions are more focused on the Roman side and how they process things. The addition of other historical figures like Pontius Pilate and the emperor adds to the drama.

I picked this movie up via iTunes during the past Easter season. I think it's an interesting take on the story of Jesus from a unique perspective that will appeal to those that believe and those that do not.