An excellent and moving film

Rating: 10/10 (5 June 2000)

I would have to say that this is probably my favorite film of all time. Its got an amazing cast, with Irons particularly giving a powerful performance of great depth. De Niro is very good, although his underdeveloped character in the film prevents him from showing his true range as an actor. I especially liked the even-handedness of the story line. While many movies that deal with the exploration of the western hemisphere present a simplified and inaccurate portrayal of the European and Indigenous people's roles in that segment of world history, The Mission is written with a depth and complexity that better reflects what was really happening at that period of time. I first saw this movie in high school and have watched it again and again during 9 years of undergraduate and graduate education in Anthropology, and the insightfulness of the storyline still impresses me. Written as a screenplay that attempts to make the viewer think about history, culture and human interaction, it succeeds on all counts.