Judas

Rating:
Summary: Interesting perspective
Review: I liked it. It explores why Judas might have joined Jesus's group, yet never entirely understood what Jesus was trying to do. There are a lot of people who will use religion for political reasons, and in this movie, that's what Judas is doing. The Romans, Herod, and the high priest are corrupt, and Judas figures Jesus would make a perfect political leader -- except that's not at all what Jesus is trying to do. To be fair, none of Jesus's students at the time understood that Jesus had no intention of being a political leader; and many of them today still don't.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting point of reference
Review: I liked this made-for-TV picture. It humanizes Judas by showing what might have motivated him. The fact that Jesus is not the central figure in the story as presented actually allows the actor portraying him to loosen up compared to other actors in the role. (That's what I liked about Jeremy Sisto in the 2000 miniseries "Jesus".)

Rating:
Summary: THE PASSION OF JUDAS
Review: Long considered the necessary scapegoat in the crucifixion of Christ, Judas Iscariot has remained a mystery in many ways. If he was "predestined" to be the one who betrays Jesus, why did it make sense for him to be the one? As portrayed in this movie, Judas was a militant, one who wanted power and glory in his quest to liberate the Jews from the Romans power. He was also jealous of Jesus' love for anyone else, and his despair as necessary as Jesus' execution.
Johnathon Schaech has the brooding sensitivity to adequately bring his role to life; Jonathan Scarfe as Jesus is a little too Scandinavian to be convincing in appearance, yet he delivers his lines earnestly and with religious fervor; Tim Matheson seems a little too "Hollywood" in his portrayal of Pilate.
Filmed in a brief time and on a shoestring budget, "Judas" received attention after the phenomenal success of "The Passion of the Christ." It is a more sanitized version of the story of Jesus, but its lack of strong graphic violence will make it a must for those who felt Gibson's Passion was too passionate.

Rating:
Summary: "It's never too late"
Review: This film gives an "alternate possibility" for the eternal life of Judas, after he betrayed the Lord and hung himself on the tree, and though there are many scriptural inaccuracies, the film is always reverent in its portrayal of Jesus, and shows him as strong, and knowing His destiny. Jonathan Scarfe is appealing in the part, and in appearance is light-haired and somewhat like a Durer painting of Christ.
As Judas, Jonathon Schaech has a forceful personality and swarthy good looks, and gives us a Judas that above all wants temporal power, has little understanding of the true kingdom of God, and is hostile to anything that doesn't include the expulsion by force of the Romans out of Judea.

Pontius Pilate (Tim Matheson) is played as a weak bumbler whose greatest dread is being transferred to Albania because of his ineffectiveness. He also has trouble taking his paws off his skimpily clad wife, Claudia Procles. Claudia (Fiona Glascott in a high camp performance) is a bossy little wench with an annoying voice, and seems to know more about the laws and how to implement them than the men in charge, reminding me of the TV ads where the woman tells the idiot guys where it's at.
Others in the cast of note are Owen Teal as Flavius and Bob Gunton as Caiaphas.

Filmed in 2001, this sat on the shelf until the interest in Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" spurred the executives at ABC Television to give this a chance, and it was aired in March of 2004.
Shot on location in Morocco, it has some nice cinematography by Michael Goi, and a lovely score by Bill Conti; the writing credits go to Executive Producer Tom Fontana (from the sharp and critically acclaimed series "Homicide: Life on the Streets"), and has some distinctly unbiblical language. It was directed by Charles Robert Carner on a very low budget ($ 5 million) and limited time (23 days), and all this considered, it is an entertaining, and occasionally moving film.
I have to confess that I didn't care for it much the first time I saw it, but subsequent viewings gave me more appreciation of it.
The message it imparts according to Paulist Productions is that "It's never too late to turn back to God".
Total running time is 120 minutes.