The Apostle Peter: Redemption

source: The Apostle Peter: Redemption

The Apostle Peter: Redemption is half of a really good movie. : This is a story of the conflict between two protagonists St. Peter and the Emperor Nero. John Rhys-Davies steps into a fine tradition ofplayers who have done justice to Peter in movies. We're talking folks like Howard Keel, Finlay Currie, and Michael Rennie all who made Peter a vital character as does Rhys-Davies. Ths was definitely a man who labored in his early days before being called as a disciple. Wouldst I could say the same for Stephen Baldwin's somewhat catatonic portrayal of the Emperor Nero. After such classic performers as Charles Laughton and Peter Ustinov as Nero, Baldwin comes off distinctly second rate. It's not a bad film just not really good

Despite the title, most of the movie focuses on the love interest between a Roman soldier and a slave in Nero's household - in other words, the same plot as in Quo Vadis. Unfortunately, that leads to a lot of comparisons between the two movies and this one falls flat each time. Baldwin's Nero is wooden, one dimensional - the polar opposite of Peter Ustinov's brilliant portrayal of an unhinged Caesar. The Roman soldiers are not convincing as soldiers who had conquered much of Europe and the Middle; Susanna, as the young slave girl is OK but never comes across as someone with the strength of character to challenge a centurion. The only interesting character is Caesar's wife, Poppaea. Watch it if you must - and then watch Quo Vadis and see what this movie could have been.

The film is supposed to be inspirational, following the final days of Peter the Apostle, based on church belief he died in Rome at the hands of Nero. We get flashbacks of Peter's denials, apparently the need for redemption. The film was poorly made, like an Asylum made for TV production. Baldwin was a laugh as Nero. Did Rome have all those blondes? Jesus is shown crucified, no thieves on either side. The sets looked cheap and artificial. As there are no historical records of Peter's death in Rome (don't blame me) they had to add fictional characters and make them prominent as if they were real. The poor execution and acting makes the inspirational aspect difficult to take. Did Peter bleach his teeth?