an astonishingly difficult movie to watch , the last temptation of christ may be scorsese 's most important film , and yet his most impossibly abstract as well .
scorsese presents the life of jesus christ
, through nikos kazantzakis ' novel , which details the life of christ from approximately 20 until the day of crucifixtion .
jesus of nazareth ( dafoe ) is a carpenter , who opens the film making crosses , so that he can escape the fate he is subjected to , his destiny on earth .
yet , he soon learns his evil ways for aiding in the deaths of others , and subjects himself to a desert in exile , in hopes that he can reach god .
before leaving , he asks for forgiveness from mary magdelene ( barbara hershey ) , a prostitute who is also a childhood friend of jesus .
after going to the desert , christ learns his true purpose in life , and what he must do .
aided by judas ( keitel ) , he sets off on teaching the world his message .
along the way , he meets john the baptist , the rest of the prophets , and tries to teach the world his message .
christ is also confronted by internal demons and self - doubt , as he tries to find his true purpose throughout the entire film .
during the story , judas is the closese ally of jesus : his betrayal , argues the film , was not out of hate , but out of love , in order to allow christ to die .
he is eventually captured , and crucified as per the bibile .
however , as he is about to die on the cross , he is saved by a girl , who brings him to his marriage with mary magdelene .
the girl is a guardian angel who is from god , and who has saved him from his death .
jesus goes on to live a life as a man , as a carpenter , and does not die on the cross .
on his deathbed , in the final moments of his life , he is visited by the prophets , and by judas , who denounces his master for " not keeping his end of the bargain .
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judas reveals the angel to truly be the devil , and the life jesus had lived to be the ultimate selfish act .
jesus escapes from his deathbed , and asks his father for forgiveness , for succumbing to his last temptation .
visually and aurally , the film is absolutely breathtaking .
no other director has even come close to realizing jerusalem during the time of christ 's life to the screen .
peter gabriel contributes a score than is simply astonishing , with pulsing rhythms that capture the viewer .
the performances are simply exquisite , with dafoe leading the way with a mesmerizing turn as jesus .
keitel , although his accent is a problem , is passionately brilliant , fighting through language to bring the character to life .
the visuals are also amazing .
scorsese frames his movie in a harsh tone , leaving the impression that jesus truly is a man who is having human frailties .
the film , though , has many trouble spots .
paul schrader 's script is one .
schrader uses modern - day new york english to tell the story , along with new york words , new york mannerisms , and new york slang speech .
the film also does not focus on the godly aspects of christ .
there is no underlying message behind the man 's words .
the film fails to capture the glory and splendor of christ .
had it faithfully explored that aspect , than the dichotomy of jesus ' soul , his frailties and doubt mixed with his unmistakable glory , would have been simply spectacular .
the message of christ is confused between love and violence , and the film merely tells us jesus is great , instead of showing us his greatness .
the film is also overlong .
it just drags in the middle , with nothing truly happening .
christ is a confused figure , in the sense that the audience does n't know who he really is .
schrader forgets to give jesus a message , to show that he truly is the messiah , to give him the divinity .
without that , he is a rambling prophet , who the audience themselves do not believe .
there are several moments of accidental hilarity , and most of them occur when jesus is attempting to preach .
there are moments of brief awe and power , followed by moments of confused hilarity .
that said , the controversial temptation sequence is something to behold .
it is a step in an unexpected direction , one that leaves the audience puzzled , until the arrival of the disciples .
it is a simply breathtaking scene , with jesus about to die as a mortal .
it is truly one of scorsese 's finest moments .
it is unfortunate that scorsese could n't make a film about christ as powerful as that one scene .
truly one of scorsese 's finest moments visually and aurally , the film is absolutely breathtaking passionately brilliant may be scorsese 's most important film no other director has even come close the visuals are also amazing as powerful as that one scene a simply breathtaking scene contributes a score than is simply astonishing , with pulsing rhythms that capture the viewer . the performances are simply exquisite , with dafoe leading the way with a mesmerizing turn