Ten minutes ago, I finished watching the most graphically violent movie I have ever seen. A movie that rivals the murders depicted in A Nightmare On Elm Street, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Creepshow combined. A movie that spent more time showing a single person’s death than any horror movie on record – and a movie whose victim was not a jock, a nerd – or a half-naked schoolgirl – but Jesus Christ of Nazareth – the movie I speak of is obviously Mel Gibson’s The Passion Of The Christ.

When the movie first came out on February 25, 2004 – which was ironically Ash Wednesday – the controversy surrounding the film rivaled that of the Nuremberg Trial. Christians praised writer/director Mel Gibson for his, “realistic portrayal” of the last twelve hours in the life of Jesus Christ – while Jews protested that the movie, “portrayed Jews as the true killers of Jesus.”

Even I got wrapped up in the fray. The day the movie was released, I wrote a column called, All This “Passion” Over A Movie? Jesus Christ! In it, I stated, “Even if a movie is based on a true story, like The Passion Of The Christ and Schindler's List was, the writers of the movies will still take some dramatic license, either because of their own views and agendas, or to make the movie more dramatic.” After just seeing the film – which I must tell you will be forever burned in my memory whether I like it or not – I think the movie does depict the crucifixion of Jesus Christ – Mel Gibson’s version of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ – which is portrayed as an act of cruelty, an act of self-preservation – and quite frankly – an act of fear on the part of the Jews.

If you look at this movie through my eyes – the eyes of a man who has never read the Bible – the movie gave me the impression that it was the Jews and only the Jews who wanted Christ executed. When they brought him to Pilate, the Roman Governor of Palestine, he asks the Jews over and over again for mercy for Christ, even telling his men to go easy on him when they whipped him for hours, and then asking the Jews again to let up on Jesus. As Pilate stood next to Jesus after he was tortured, he points to a blood-covered Christ and asks the Jews, “Is this not enough?” And when Jesus is forced to carry his cross to Golgotha, and has to be aided by a Jew because he can no longer walk without aid due to the fact that he has been so badly tortured – even the Jew begs for mercy for Jesus from the Roman warriors. And then, when he is finally nailed to the cross and lifted to die with two others being crucified, one prisoner looks at the other and says, “We deserve this death – but he does not!” Worse then that, as he was on the cross dying from hours of relentless torture – he looked up at the Heavens and said, “Forgive them Father, they do not know, they do not understand.” “Even in death he prays for you!” shouted one of the criminals. And yet – the Jews and the Roman warriors at their command crucified Jesus anyway – and rejoiced at his death.

Besides depicting the Jews as an insane mob of murderers, Gibson also took the death of Jesus to an extremely and unnecessary violent level. From watching chunks of flesh ripped out of Christ’s back as he is whipped by the Roman soldiers with a cat-of-nine-tails, to seeing Christ’s blood splash on the face of the warriors that were torturing him – to spending twenty minutes watching the Roman warriors nailing Christ’s hands to the cross – I could have lived without the gratuitous violence – regardless of the fact that I am a big fan of “slice and dice” movies.

I do not know enough about either the Bible or the Torah to dare form an opinion as to what led to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. I also want to point out that while Gibson’s version of The Passion Of The Christ was based on, as the movie’s official website dictates, “the four Biblical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John” – it is still just that – a depiction, an exaggerated tale based on writings from long ago. In no way am I even implying that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ never took place – because I know it did in my heart and soul. Besides, even if I was an Atheist – there are far too many representations of the crucifixion, through paintings, sculpture, writings and teachings – to argue that it never took place. To even dare and do so would be to believe that the Holocaust never took place. All I am saying is that while Gibson depicts the last twelve hours of Christ’s life as extremely violent and horrific – no one has to take one man’s word as to how Christ’s last twelve hours were lived…

…especially the word of a man who once played Mad Max Rockatansky.