The Body (2001)

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

This is an astonishing documentary that will wring your heart while it bends your mind

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Good idea, good cast, good camera, poor script and lazy dialogs. I didn't expect it to be a landmark, but the production didn't even try enough.It could have been a great religious thriller (the idea was good) and a great political statement (at least three sides to depict).What the movie does instead, is deliver lazy dialog, simplify the religious implications and picture the local politics in the safest way possible.Nothing intense enough. After I saw the film, it felt like a soap opera :(

God has no place in politics—this is the theme of The Body, an interesting film, if not a particularly 'entertaining' one.Antonio Banderas plays Father Matt Gutierrez, a priest sent by the Vatican to investigate the discovery of a tomb in Jerusalem, which may or may not contain the crucified remains of Christ. Gutierrez has been given instructions by the Vatican to declare that the remains are not those of Christ; but with all of the evidence suggesting otherwise, the priest must struggle with facing the fact that his religion may be founded on a lie, and that, perhaps, Jesus was never resurrected.Questioning his faith is only the beginning of Gutierrez's problems: Orthodox Jews, angry at the tomb being disturbed, attack the archaeologists; the Israelis blackmail the Vatican, only offering to hand over the body if the Vatican recognises Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel; and the Palestinians, who get wind of Israel's plan and are naturally displeased, kidnap the children of sexy archaeologist Sharon Golban (Olivia Williams), forcing her into stealing the bones.The movie, shot on location in Jerusalem, has beautiful cinematography and great acting from Banderas and Williams, but the complicated plot may cause many viewers to lose interest. Those with a particular interest in the subject matter will probably glean the most from this rather long and intricate tale, but I can imagine the casual viewer quickly becoming bored.If you choose to watch this, I recommend that you stick it out to the end; you may not be riveted to the screen but, like me, you might learn a little about a fascinating subject.

This movie has a plus side and a minus side:-On the plus side,the fear a priest encounters when he discovers that bones found in a Jerusalem' s grave by an archaeologist might be Jesus 's ones.So if Jesus is a man,it's a whole religion which falls down;one should note that ,for that matter ,the Muslims' and the Jews ' religions stand in little danger of bringing this about.Antonio Banderas is very convincing,I do not know if the actor is a believer,but we do believe the character he portrays is.-On the minus side,when the movie becomes a thriller (complete with kidnapping,shootings and priest becoming a superhero),it peters out.One can admit the Jews want to keep the Vatican from getting the bones,but that part is not better than a Van Damme flick.Watch this movie anyway cause it asks disturbing questions.

The only fault I can find is the premise that Banderas is a priest and ex secret agent; that and the guy assigned to watch things has an uncontrollable urge to lean out a window when using a telephoto lens. But all movies have such flaws. I think it's great. I'd recommend it to anyone. The cast is good all around. There's not the shootout of the type in other Banderas movies or large numbers of spontaneously exploding cars. It's thought provoking and timely. On one hand, the conflict over scripture and archeology is ever-present. And the conflict over Jerusalem will be with us a long time as well. I thought this movie did justice to all sides. At the same time it showed all are human. Not easily done these days.