Sweeping and Majestic!

Rating: 9/10 (31 March 2013)

Roland Joffe's The Mission is a sweeping and beautiful historical epic of two men with two entirely different professions band together to save an endangered Indian species. Led by a majestic score by Ennio Morricone and sweeping cinematography and beautiful shots of the lush South American wilderness, this movie is one of the best of the 1980's. The movie has been overlooked mostly because of it's Christian themes, but as it's about saving people and a man of the cloth, it should have these themes.
This film is about how a Jesuit and a slave trader unite to save a South American tribe from relocation and other dangers.
The acting is really good. Jeremy Irons and Robert De Niro make a very good team thanks to great chemistry. The Indian actors are also really good as they brought a sense of realism to their lifestyle.
Overall, this is a great, underrated epic that would teach some people history they did not know about. My only complaint is that the battles at the end of the film lacked effective choreography and I did not find them to be realistic. But what I did liked is how these two men did everything in their power to convince the church that these native people are worth their lives and their land. I rate this film 9/10.