THE MISSION
[Film stats: Earned $17.2M domestically. Got 64% on Rotten Tomatoes and 87% on Flixster.]
Hello, all!
It’s a little surprising that this film didn’t do better with the folks in the film critic community; it seems almost definitively Oscar-bait. Indeed, it was nominated for several Oscars, but only won for Best Cinematography. If you’ve seen the film, the waterfall scene at the beginning is probably enough to explain that win by itself.
Anyway, the plot, at least according to the IMDB, is as follows: “Eighteenth-century Spanish Jesuits try to protect a remote South American tribe in danger of falling under the rule of pro-slavery Portugal.”
Any discussion of this film would be impossible without special mention of Robert De Niro, because he absolutely kills it in this film [pun only partly intended]. That isn’t because he’s one of the few members of the crew who didn’t end up with amoebic dysentery, either. It’s a real shame that such a gifted actor has been so abysmal lately, but he commands every moment of screen time in this one. Given how good Jeremy Irons is in the film, that’s saying something.
If this has been enough to interest you in watching the film, you may want to check out the trailer for the film that I’ve embedded below:
Admittedly, that trailer doesn’t give away much of the plot, so I suppose it’s best just to stick with the plot summary above. Of course, those of you who are bigtime history buffs will appreciate the historical basis for the film, the so-called Guarani War of the mid-1700s. Significant as the events in the film’s third act are, and there’s plenty of drama there, the real payoff is in the events of the first two acts. It’s there that De Niro’s redemptive arc occurs, as well as the plot’s heavy lifting is done by Jeremy Irons as Father Gabriel. It’s a good cast from top to bottom, though, and you’ll even spot Liam Neeson playing a significant role in the film’s final act.
“I have a particular set of Scriptures. Scriptures that make me a nightmare for sinners like you.” That isn’t in the film, but it might as well be.
Before I finish with today’s bloviating cinematic screed, I have to give a nod to Ennio Morricone for his absolutely stellar score for the film. Rumor has it that it was the favorite score he ever wrote, and for good reason. The folks in the Academy must have had a collective brain purge when they gave the Best Score nod to another film… the one Morricone wrote here is transcendent, elevating an already great film.
Enjoy!
P.S. For those of you who give this one a shot and enjoy it, you may also want to check out SILENCE or THE MOSQUITO COAST.
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - BARTON FINK; Day 2 - CENTURION; Day 3 - THE BABADOOK; Day 4 - RISEN; Day 5 - CHOPPER; Day 6 - ZERO EFFECT; Day 7 - IN BRUGES; Day 8 - HOUSE OF GAMES; Day 9 - DREDD]
[Film stats: Earned $17.2M domestically. Got 64% on Rotten Tomatoes and 87% on Flixster.]
Hello, all!
It’s a little surprising that this film didn’t do better with the folks in the film critic community; it seems almost definitively Oscar-bait. Indeed, it was nominated for several Oscars, but only won for Best Cinematography. If you’ve seen the film, the waterfall scene at the beginning is probably enough to explain that win by itself.
Anyway, the plot, at least according to the IMDB, is as follows: “Eighteenth-century Spanish Jesuits try to protect a remote South American tribe in danger of falling under the rule of pro-slavery Portugal.”
Any discussion of this film would be impossible without special mention of Robert De Niro, because he absolutely kills it in this film [pun only partly intended]. That isn’t because he’s one of the few members of the crew who didn’t end up with amoebic dysentery, either. It’s a real shame that such a gifted actor has been so abysmal lately, but he commands every moment of screen time in this one. Given how good Jeremy Irons is in the film, that’s saying something.
If this has been enough to interest you in watching the film, you may want to check out the trailer for the film that I’ve embedded below:
Admittedly, that trailer doesn’t give away much of the plot, so I suppose it’s best just to stick with the plot summary above. Of course, those of you who are bigtime history buffs will appreciate the historical basis for the film, the so-called Guarani War of the mid-1700s. Significant as the events in the film’s third act are, and there’s plenty of drama there, the real payoff is in the events of the first two acts. It’s there that De Niro’s redemptive arc occurs, as well as the plot’s heavy lifting is done by Jeremy Irons as Father Gabriel. It’s a good cast from top to bottom, though, and you’ll even spot Liam Neeson playing a significant role in the film’s final act.
“I have a particular set of Scriptures. Scriptures that make me a nightmare for sinners like you.” That isn’t in the film, but it might as well be.
Before I finish with today’s bloviating cinematic screed, I have to give a nod to Ennio Morricone for his absolutely stellar score for the film. Rumor has it that it was the favorite score he ever wrote, and for good reason. The folks in the Academy must have had a collective brain purge when they gave the Best Score nod to another film… the one Morricone wrote here is transcendent, elevating an already great film.
Enjoy!
P.S. For those of you who give this one a shot and enjoy it, you may also want to check out SILENCE or THE MOSQUITO COAST.
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - BARTON FINK; Day 2 - CENTURION; Day 3 - THE BABADOOK; Day 4 - RISEN; Day 5 - CHOPPER; Day 6 - ZERO EFFECT; Day 7 - IN BRUGES; Day 8 - HOUSE OF GAMES; Day 9 - DREDD]
