The Final Inquiry (2006)

Though some may wish it were otherwise, FoxFaith Films has given us The Final Inquiry (2006), an Italian remake of the Italian film The Inquiry (1987), starring Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel. This redo adds Max von Sydow as Tiberius Caesar, Monica Cruz as Tabitha, and also actors in the roles of Paul, Peter, Stephen, and Caligula. Like other recent attempts at faith films (like UA's Saved!, where a Christian clubs another girl with her Bible--what?!), believers will have quibbles with story elements thrown in for dramatic effect or to attract (or at least not repel) nonbelievers. Actually, like most bad scriptwriting, I suspect it is not so much intentional (too many cooks) as accidental (due to ignorance or laziness). So what we have here is a passable script with flashes of cogency but many more weak spots. It ends up repelling nonbelievers anyway (as: Meh!) and failing to please believers (as: Doh!). I will not harp on other reviewers' chief gripes, such as the low-budget acting, fight scenes, and film stock. I would prefer to point out the Biblical inaccuracies (but it would be to little effect). More obvious are the historical flaws; for example, a mere two years after Christ was crucified, Jerusalem has apparently turned into a red-light district, with a skeevy bar, and Jewish prostitutes openly soliciting foreign men in the streets. (Please note that this is a theocracy, where women are not allowed to speak to a man in public, much less touch hands, start kissing, and profess undying love--but it must be OK for the Christian woman whose mother was stoned for prostitution, before conversing for a total of 10 minutes with the Roman emperor's emissary.) The most jarring scene for believers will be where Mary Magdalene tells Stephen to deny Christ, because "the Lord taught us to love life, not throw it away!" (Um, that's the exact opposite of what Christ taught his disciples.) So the first martyr gets snuffed unceremoniously (not a spoiler if it is historical) and we completely miss his beatific vision and preaching, which later led to Paul's conversion (but we never see him again anyway). I won't even start on the flaws involving geography. Listen, I really like the acting of all five major characters (and maybe even Stephen), otherwise I might have rated this film lower than 3 stars. Enjoy! (8-12-2107)