Rating: 
Summary: Inspiring?
Review: I always scratch my head a little when they say viewing this movie increases their Christian devotion. As a Christian myself, I arrive at the end of the movie depressed. To ask whether you would have been Irons' or DeNiro's character misses the point; both met the same fate. The ending is almost fatalistic. The film itself is great; the musical score is outstanding. I owned the soundtrack on cassette and wore it out.
Rating:
Summary: What WOULD you do, as a Christian ?
Review: I have a son who is a very devout Christian, bless him. He saw this with me when he was still at an age where he was sure that every religions issue could be reduced to black and white decisions. At the end of this movie I asked him what he would have done. Would he have been Jeremy Irons or Robert De Niro? I think the power of the movie can be found in his answer, " I honestly don't know which path I would have chosen." Rather than tell you what the paths were, I strongly recommend you see the movie and then ask yourself the question. Along the way, you can listen to Ennio Morricone's haunting soundtrack, especially the song "Gabriel's Oboe". Later you can buy the music, too.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece
Review: Why do people seek redemption when they see someone die? Redemption is for the living, and this movie brings the tears of innocence from Our Inner Selves.
Rating:
Summary: Religious Experience
Review: Lush cinematography, haunting soundtrack, and two actors at their best. What's not to love.
Rating:
Summary: Touching, Brutal, Beautiful
Review: In "The Mission" the paths of heartless mercenary Robert DeNiro and mystical Jesuit missionary Jeremy Irons cross in South America when DeNiro, distraught over killing his own brother in a jealous rage, does his pennance deep in the jungle missions under the direction of Irons. They find themselves caught in the middle of a political deal between the Church and the Portugese that goes terribly wrong. The final scene at the jungle mission is one of the most harrowing on film and the final words spoken are some of the most truthful. The scene in which DeNiro comes face to face with the native people of the jungle, who before he arrived at the mission, knew him only as a slave trader and murderer, is one of the most dramatic I've ever seen.
Rating:
Summary: The Mission
Review: I couldn't disagree more with Tom Keogh's review of this movie. It is one of the most stirring and emotional epics I've seen in a long time. The performances are outstanding, the scenery is breathtaking and the music wonderful. I am ordering this movie right now for my library. It reminds me of the underrated "To Play in the Fields of the Lord", however were "To Play" treated the subject matter in a more cynical fashion, questioning the often zealous nature of the missionaries, "the Mission" truly inspires the belief in God and in the true nature of these missionaries. I recommend this movie to anyone, it is a great epic and deserved every nomination it received.
Rating:
Summary: Hard Questions Demanding a Response
Review: Wow.No movie has ever drawn me into so much spiritual introspection as this one. The fundamental question is not politics, as would seem the superficial plot. It is about Man and God. It is about how we react to adversity, to violence against ourselves, against those we love. It is about what should be protected, and to what point do we protect what we love. Who do we obey? DeNiro struggles with a troubled past for which he wants to amend, and Irons' has a myriad of problems thrown at him due to political and strategic concerns. Who owns what land and what will happen to the converts who live on the fort/mission on this land? I've seen this movie around 15 times. Each time I'm compelled to review my faith in Christ... or at least how I live it in the light of the outside world. It has made for great discussion with friends and other Christians --> Am I more like Deniro, or like Irons' characters? What would I have done in the conflicts they endure? Who was right... before Man? Before God?
Rating: 
Summary: The Mission
Review: this movie was good because it showed that rodigo could change and that he would help the people that he had once hurt. it also showed that the natives were willing to forgive him and allow him to help them.
Rating:
Summary: Microcosm of Spanish Conquest
Review: The Mission is an interesting look into the dual nature that was the Spanish conquest of the New World. Being an American I know quite well the reasonings for and outcome of English colonization in North America. The English came to stay and therefore were destined to have many problems co-existing with the natives. The Spanish however came for two very different reasons. They wanted to attain riches like gold and silver; but, they also wanted to convert the natives to Christianity. They felt it was their duty as good Christians to spread the word of God to the "heathen." This double purpose often created tensions among the men who sought their fortunes, material and spiritual, in the New World. The Mission is a good lesson in the schizophrenic nature of the Spanish conquest. We also get an interesting look at the rivalry that existed between Spain and Portugal at this time for land and converts. Each side was trying to impress the Pope so as to gain more favor in its dealings with the Papacy. It is the conflict between the Spanish and the Portugese that sets up the immediacy of the problem in The Mission. I really cannot add anything to what everyone already knows about the acting talents of Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons. They are both exceptional actors that create believable empathetic characters. Combine the acting, the history, and the soundtrack and you have a very good film in The Mission.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly moving
Review: Often dismissed as a removed and ineffective, wannabe epic, The Mission is in reality a moving and tragic story that has much to say about the hypocrisy of the church and the brutality of the progress of "civilised" society. Irons plays a Jesuit priest who converts a remote tribe of Indians in South America only for greedy merchants and fractions with the church to threaten the mission. It is true that for the first hour and a half the film is oddly removed as Bolt's screenplay and director Joffé treat the story at arm's length, as if the audience is merely an observer to the unfolding events. The result is interesting rather than stimulating and some people may start fidgeting half way in. But the film's climax in last half-hour is powerful and deeply rewarding of all that has gone before. De Niro is somewhat detached in his performance as a former mercenary and slave trader, converted to the Jesuit faith but Irons is brilliant and holds the film superbly with a dignified an sincere performance. The Mission is also an endlessly beautiful film thanks to Chris Menges' breathtaking photography as well as impeccable production design that conveys a real sense of period and setting. Morricone's score is the stand out though: complimenting the film perfectly and beautiful and memorable on its own.
| 
