When this movie came out in 1997, I was a young man who had just found his way into church for the first time in my adult life. I specifically was someone who had always been turned off to church and faith because I had grown up in a place where often times churches were charismatic, a style that never interested me very much. When I was nineteen I started attending a Presbyterian church that was a whole different atmosphere than what I had always known. The service was very structured and organized, and a long story short I found myself at home in a place with a much more reserved style of worship experience.But with that going on in my personal life at the time, it made it difficult for me to want to see "The Apostle", a film that to me looked like it was promoting the style of religion that I had struggled with all my life. So I never saw the film when it was in theaters or while it was still popular.Fast forward to 2014, and I've matured a fair bit. I still have my own preferences about church and religion, but I am not as judgmental as I once was. And so with that in mind, I sat down to watch this film on Netflix a couple of weeks ago.What I found in "The Apostle" was a delightful film, one that is evangelical in its own way, and one that certainly does portray the charismatic church style that I struggled with so much in my youth. But whereas in 1997 I might have had a visceral reaction to that, in 2014 I was able to sit down and watch the film and view it as art. And boy am I glad that I did.Robert Duvall gives a dynamic performance in this movie. It's impossible to see him as himself, because he completely becomes the character. As the movie progresses Duvall has several extended scenes where he's preaching in church, and the performance is amazing. Regardless of whether one appreciates the Christian faith or the charismatic movement, Duvall makes the viewer believe that he is the preacher. It's a bit eerie in a sense, and some might find it uncomfortable given the subject matter--but then you realize that this is the same guy from "The Godfather" movies, and that's when it hits you that this is an amazing feat of acting in a well made film.All that said, "The Apostle" may be a bit foreign and hard to watch for some people who have an averse reaction to matters of faith or who are uncomfortable with Christianity. But even those folks should be able to appreciate the film for its artistic expression, if they can just get past the religious element (which is of course the dominant theme of the film).If you are able to appreciate the film, either as a work of art or as an evangelical film in its own right, then you may agree that it deserves a high rating. Thus my 9/10 stars.

This may actually be the worst movie I have ever seen - Buffalo Nickel is a close second. It is the story of a preacher who is just like the rest of his congregation. Now that is a revelation. Aren't all preachers human. He has his faith and his faults. Surprise, surprise.It seems to me anyone could go around yelling, singing and preaching like Duvall. The incessant preaching and bible thumping is truly very nerve racking. It could actually make a person prefer to go to hell.As an atheist it is disturbing to see so many religious people. As a critical thinker it is disappointing to realize how many people remain steeped in faith and fantasy rather that fact and reality. As a movie goer this movie is BORING!!!!!

First: DuVall's performance and that of the other actors in this film were 100% on point. Hollywood's portrayal of Christianity is always done in a way that makes anyone who calls themselves a Christian look like dumb and/or wacko, the style of Christianity shown in this film would have been such a large target of this lopsided Hollywood viewpoint. BUT instead DuVall took great pains to portray these in a most realistic way. Without making fun or a mockery of this worship style.Second: The message in this story is that Christians are not perfect but forgiven. Some of you may not understand that, given the candy coated image of what a Christian is. We all hate to show our weakness and Christians have it even harder when they try to pretend that they have no faults. The truth is we all fail in our attempt to be what God ask of us. But the true Christian seeks to do God's will and to follow his teachings. When we fail we are sorrowful and ask for help and forgiveness. "Sonny" mirrors the biblical "King David". David was a "man after God's own heart", however David was far from perfect. He committed Adultery and killed the woman's husband to cover it up. He did many things that were not right but yet his heart was always to follow God. There are many people who try to follow God but are discouraged buy failure and unfortunately in many cases get no support from the church in helping them back on the right track. These people turn there backs on God and the church, most never to return. This is a good movie for Christians who are sometimes way to full of themselves to see what they have become. I know many "Christians" who have a hart for the appearance of Christian perfection but have no heart for doing what God ask of them. I can only pray that they see the difference before it is to late. For those of you who may not call yourselves Christian, Try to understand the heart of "Sonny". Despite some of his actions "Sonny" has a heart for God. Also understand that true Christianity is a relationship with God and not just a bunch of rules. When you truly love someone you want to do what pleases them. You may not always succeed but it is your number one desire. And this is what this movie is about.

For me one of the best films of Robert Duvall. We can see here that a pastor is a normal person. His passion for preaching the Gospel is obvious as it is his weaknesses as a person. All actors did an awesome job. It was a fantastic experience to watch this film. Robert Duvall was quite brave writing and directing this film. He seems to have enjoyed every bit of the film. The music is as good as the film. I recommend this film to any person believer or not. You can see from troublemakers to false friends. His commitment for his job is admirable. It contains intelligent humor but not as a vulgar comedy. I never thought that a film like that could be done by a star as Mr. Duvall.