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That's the premise of The Body, a new movie by writer/director Jonas McCord, who previously wrote Malice. In the film, the Vatican is predictably traumatized by the apparent discovery of Christ's unresurrected bones. A priest named Father Lavelle (Derek Jacobi) starts shouting the obvious dilemma, in case the audience isn't properly coaxed to the edge of their seats: "What if it's him? The unrisen Christ? The end of Christianity!"

Enter the hero—Father Matt Gutierrez (Antonio Banderas)—a Catholic priest with a strong resemblance to Zorro. Gutierrez is exhorted by the church to investigate and to "protect the faith." But Guitierrez isn't as fretful as his fellow friars. He just wants to know the truth. This is evidence that demands a verdict.

No doubt this troubling premise has the potential to lead us into a heated discussion about the mystery of Christ's death and resurrection. What would happen to the world if such a discovery was made? Would denominations turn upon each other causing schisms throughout the church? Would nations go to war? Would Christianity truly be doomed? Ask yourself: Is your faith in carbon dating and archaeology, or in the promises of Scripture? Interesting questions.

If The Body explores these issues seriously, if it is more concerned with art than entertainment, we might have a real discussion piece on our hands. And perhaps a scandal as well. It's not hard to imagine religious protesters outside the theaters and prominent Christian apologists on 60 Minutes and Nightline reassuring us that the Resurrection is real, and rebuking Hollywood for "attacking" the church. (Whether the film ends up affirming or rejecting the Resurrection, well, that would be telling.)

Some of the same potential for trouble—and publicity—that The Last Temptation of Christ received lies in The Body's very suggestion that Jesus' resurrection was a hoax. But based on early critical response to the film, I suspect that this storm might just pass over with very little thunder. In spite of its attention-grabbing idea, and in spite of a distinguished cast that includes Derek Jacobi and John Wood (two veterans of priestly roles), it sounds like the movie isn't good enough to cause riots.

Most critics—mainstream or religious—find the film weak and even laughable. Scott Foundas describes it as a case of wasted potential. "What would the uncovering of Christ's body really mean to the church? To this man?" he asks in his Variety review. "Such inquiry stops squarely after the first reel or so, clearing the way for a windup series of lethargic, would-be thrills, in which the body itself becomes roughly as significant as a case full of cash or an elusive bit of microfilm." "Indiana Jones has never been so missed," agrees Michael Atkinson of The Village Voice, who goes on to describe the performance by Derek Jacobi as "so Sunday-hammy you want to rivet him with cloves." Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times writes, "It would take genius and daring to pull off a film worthy of such a premise. That McCord is as pedestrian an adapter as he is a director further trivializes the film, which proceeds murkily and with precious little credibility. It also makes an array of Catholics, Jews, and Arabs look bad before it reaches a predictably contrived ending."

While The Body joins a long list of thrillers that paint unflattering caricatures of Catholic priests, Elvis Mitchell at The New York Times observes that Father Gutierrez is an exception. He's a good priest because he keeps his cool and because he's handsome. Thus, of course, there is also the suggestion that his fellow priests lust after him. Mitchell writes, "Gutierrez, an archaeologist with an ultrasultry manner and concave-of-cheek good looks … suffers a stoning while checking out the dig, which conveniently gives him a chance to take off his shirt. 'Not many of our priests are ex-combat soldiers,' Cardinal Pesci (John Wood) says admiringly—maybe a little too admiringly." In spite of the film's portrayal of a rather spooky Catholicism, The U.S. Catholic Conference avoids overreaction and posts that the film "remains shallow in its exploration … of the resurrection."

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April (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45