"The Last Temptation of Christ" (Scorsese, 1988)

"It is accomplished."

Martin Scorsese's long awaited venture into the realm of religious epics isn't amidst his best work, but it's far from his worst. Willem Defoe's contributions are noteworthy and David Bowie's brief presence is among one of the more memorable scenes. As much as I'd like to forgive the westernized elements (notably the accents), they're occasionally distracting. Several scenes are plagued with questionable motivations and Scorsese could have used more time in post-production. Nevertheless, Bauhaus' cinematography is wonderfully tinged in sepia tones and Peter Gabriel's experimental score, although initially out of place, grew on me. Scorsese's flair for stark imagery is evident, but dampered by the film's overly long final sequence. The film is definitely worth a look, if only to see Scorsese's original inspiration for his themes of redemption.

B-