Entertaining and instructive epic.
Exodus: Gods and Kings
Grade: B+
Director: Ridley Scott (Blade Runner)
Screenplay: Adam Cooper (Tower Heist), et al.
Cast: Christian Bale (American Hustle), Joel Edgerton (The Great Gatsby)
Rating: PG
Runtime: 150 min.
by John DeSando
“Remember this. I am prepared to fight. For eternity.” Moses (Christian Bale)
As played intelligently by Christian Bale in Exodus: Gods and Kings, Moses is a tough but conflicted leader, coming as he was from being a revered general in the Egyptian army and adopted son of Seti (Somewhat laughable casting of John Turturro) to an eventually-disclosed Hebrew (the basket in the reeds started all that). Director Ridley Scott and a host of writers have hit the right Biblical events while revising the clichéd Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments and moving toward the modern, flawed Noah (Russell Crowe), only much more convincing here. The historically-inaccurate choice of mostly white actors has to be disregarded to enjoy this epic.
As a fallen-down Catholic, I am pleased to be able to put the Old Testament events in logical order by way of this coherent film. The nuns schooled us mainly on The Garden of Eden and The Ten Commandments in the OT, but on the NT they used their energy for the Sermon on the Mount, Crucifixion, Resurrection and anything else the NT could offer to torture us with guilt.
In this Exodus, never do we lose sight of the difficulty Moses has accepting his Hebrew lineage or leaving his family to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and slavery. Even when he meets a messenger of God, Malak (terrific young Brit actor Isaac Andrews), he remains skeptical and difficult to convince. But ten plagues will do the work for unbelievers and strengthen Moses’ belief in God and himself.
The pace is surprisingly moderate for such a grand story; indeed that is why I like the film—it never takes itself too seriously and treats everyone with at least a modicum of respect. Billy Rich’s editing makes each piece flow into the next without a whimper or gotcha moment, a counter intuitive approach that puts the emphasis where it belongs: the reluctance of Moses and the persistence of God:
“And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.”
Exodus, 3. 6
John DeSando, a Los Angeles Press Club first-place winner for National Entertainment Journalism, hosts WCBE’s It’s Movie Time and co-hosts Cinema Classics. Contact him at JDeSando@Columbus.rr.com
