I guess I go against the grain here. I thought this was a rather good movie.Essentially, it's a film about a conspiracy to hide -- for political reasons (including politics within the various religions) -- what may be the discovery of the tomb and remains of Jesus. The film highlights the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (all sides of the conspiracy believe the remains could give them an upper hand in the conflict), and the central point of Christendom -- the resurrection of Jesus Christ.The movie follows a rather modern priest (Banderas), appointed by the Vatican to investigate an archaeologic finding by an Iraeli scientist (Olivia Williams), which MAY be the remains of Jesus Christ. Banderas's mission brings his faith into question, and the situation creates a political crisis between Palestinian and Israeli power groups. And, of course, the findings could bring into question basic premises on which Christianity is built. All involved are in danger! Several of the strengths of the film include believable characters well portrayed, aerial photography that gives one a better idea of the Jerusalem region, and a plot that is believable.This was the first film I ever really took notice of Antonio Banderas, and I have come to enjoy many of his performances, as a result, both those before and after this film.One of the best supporting roles in this film went to Derek Jacobi, playing the older priest/archaeologist.A negative here is that the transfer to DVD by Columbia-TriStar was not first rate, although it is mostly noticeable only during darker scenes, and is certainly not bad enough to ruin the enjoyment of the film.One caveat. If you don't have a basic knowledge about Christianity, this movie will go right over your head. Perhaps that is one of the reasons this film gets a lower rating than I would have expected.

**SPOILERS** Complicated religious thriller involving the finding of the remains, or bones, of a man who was crucified around the time of Jesus. The facts that the remains were found, under Nasir Hamid's hardware shop, in a discovered underground tomb in Jerusalem made it a political hot potato for everyone involved: The Vatican the Palestinians and Israelis.The film "The Body" has the Vatican send Father Matt Gutierrez to Jerusalem in order to keep the discovery from seeing the light of day in the fear if in fact it is Jesus' remains it will shake the very foundations of the Catholic Church: The death and resurrection of Christ! The Israelis under the guise of Israeli top official Moshe Cohen use the discovery for their own political purposes! Cohen want to use the bones to pressure the Vatican to recognize a united Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state of Israel! As for the Palestinians they have the most to lose. The fact that they may well end up behind the eight ball by having the Vatican and the entire Christian world leave them out in the cold by disenfranchising them from their claim that Jerusalem is their, not Israel's, capital.Getting in touch with the Israeli archaeologist Sharon Golban in charge of determining if the bones are genuine Father Matt, a former intelligence officer in El Salvador before he became a priest, becomes more and more convinced, as the evidence mounts, that they are that of Jesus! Going against his superiors- Cardinal Pesci-wishes Father Matt is now in danger of not only being defrocked but losing his faith in the church, and religion, that's saved him from a life of guilt, in what he did back in El Salvador, and misery!The movie has Palestine radical Abu Yosef use every mean at his disposal to keep the truth of the discovery of Jesus' remains, if that's what they are, from being used by the Israeli Government to its advantage: The recognition by the Vatican in a united Jerusalem as Israel's capital! Father Matt in trying to prove, as ordered by Cardinal Pesci, that the bones are not that of Jesus soon realizes that he's being used as a pawn by the Vatican for its political not religious purposes.****SPOILERS*** The movie ends on a bittersweet note in that we never find out the truth of the mysterious remains found in Jerusalem because their destroyed, together with himself, by a wild eyed and insane Abu Yosef. Abu who had his followers kidnap Sharon's two children in order for her to gives the bones to him, for safe keeping, broke his word to Nasir Hamid who was blackmailed by him to kidnap them. This set off a chain of events that lead to not only the bones being destroyed but Father Matt quiting the Catholic Church, as a priest, and ending up seeking God and Jesus in his own personal way. A way in which faith in God not the politics of man guides him.

Actually, I'm a catholic priest, I have lived for six months in Jerusalem to study Bible and archeology. And that movie really absorbed me. The atmosphere of Jerusalem, halfway between East and West, the political problems are well depicted. All the city fly-by shots make me feel the Jerusalem mood. It's true sometimes that the Church stuff could have been better rendered : religious dresses or biblical references. I like too that the "love story" between fr Matt and Sharon doesn't go too far (as in the novel)... Last factor : the faith problem. At the end of the movie, Matt doesn't have any scientific proof whether it is the body of Christ or not... So, what remains to him is faith and not a scientific certainty. He is really "a man of God". "If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain" says Paul. So Faith tells me that Christ is arisen and that Science should demonstrate that the body couldn't be Christ's (Science cannot prove resurrection but should prove that the facts don't contradict these beliefs). Even that scientific comfort isn't given to him. I have watched the movie with some traditionalist friends and they didn't like the movie for the very reason I liked it. Of course, the Body is not a masterpiece. But it cannot leave us unconcerned.

The premise of this movie seemed interesting enough, although to some, it might be blasphemy. What if one day, the body (or rather, skeletal remains) of Christ was discovered in a similarly described tomb, with tell tale signs of the crucification, the spear wound, injuries inflicted by the crown of thorns, and the tomb dating back to 1 AD? This film looks at the possible destruction of the faith which hinges on the one man's resurrection as God. Olivia Williams plays an Israeli Sharon Golban, who discovers this body in a tomb she excavates. Suspecting she could be on to something big, she calls for a priest to confirm her suspicion. Soon, word gets around, rumours get spread. The Vatican dispatches one of their priests, Father Gutierrez (played by Antonio Banderas), and ex-military intelligence officer, to investigate and proof or disproof the claim.While science points to the fact that the body may be that of Christ, it gives a chilling insight into what could make, or break, a religion. Is it blind faith that keeps it going, even if there should come a day when science can ultimately disproof certain theories and events? Here, discovering that body has serious implications because of the repercussions that the major event in Christ's life have on Christians. But what diluted this film from its primary premise is the introduction of Hollywood subplots to jazz up production, like having the Vatican embroiled in political intrigue, and having terrorist organizations taking an interest in the findings as well.It's a relatively low budgeted production, but one which raised thought provoking questions even if the delivery somehow got distracted in attempts to become a bigger movie in terms of action sequences. I think this film probably would be a good prologue to the controversies that surround next year's Da Vinci Code.Code 1 DVD contains "special features", but nothing out of the ordinary besides the usual trailers, audio, and scene selections.