the apostle be a gripping film on a most unpromising subject matter . the film have none of the obvious flash of movie such a elmer gantry and the rainmaker which cover some of the same territory . the apostle be base on straightforward storytelling and great character development and nice and gentle pacing but with a strong kick . robert duvall and one of the best actor of the last thirty year and give a powerful performance a the preacher drive by his inner demon and god . over the year and we have see preacher play by actor range from burt lancaster to steve martin but robert duvall come up with a truly individual and original interpretation . what make the character sonny stand out be that he be so real . range from his most charismatic ( do a joe dolan impersonation . ) to his most personal and one feel that sonny ( the apostle ef ) be real and believe what he be do be real and be confident in his destiny no matter how odd or quirky he appear at time . the film be character driven with a good sprinkling of incident throughout . story point introduce early on and develop before half way give the film a strong feel of the fugitive and the tv series lay back and story base but with the undercurrent of a tick bomb under the table ( alfred hitchcock ) . minor quibble represent miranda richardson character be a little too young for robert duvall . june carter cash and both the actress and the character and seem under utilised . and at time it be possible to see the join . the version i saw on video appear to be short than that show originally in the u cinema . this pruning may account for some of these minor point . overall and the apostle be highly recommended . filmgoers without a strong interest in religious matter should find the character and their treatment and the landscape in which they operate fascinate . most people of a religious disposition should have little difficulty with the film a a film though they may not always like what they see from a religious viewpoint . 8 . 75. amen .