Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Apostle Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 6, 2021

As a supplement included on this disc gets into, so-called "men of the cloth" haven't always been portrayed as heroes on the screen. Any number of films from Elmer Gantry to First Reformed have offered depictions of ostensible "holy men" who were in the worst cases anything but and in the best interpretations, seriously troubled. In that regard, The Apostle is considerably more nuanced and multi-layered. It's easy to dismiss focal preacher Sonny Dewey (Robert Duvall) as the same kind of charlatan Elmer Gantry was, especially since he's in the same quasi- evangelical "mode" as Sinclair Lewis' legendary character was, and yet, Sonny also is a man of kindness and generosity, possessing a certain spirit (no metaphysical pun intended) that would also seem to suggest he has a moral compass.

Sonny leads an evangelical congregation that he himself founded, and things both professionally and personally with his wife Jessie (Farrah Fawcett) seem to already be at "happily ever after" as the film begins. An early vignette documents Sonny's sincerity in helping people find salvation, and in fact while maybe just a tad flashy at times, Sonny seems admirably well grounded. Things begin to fall apart with a couple of quick revelations (again, no metaphysical pun intended) that Jessie has been having an affair with a younger minister named Horace (Todd Allen), and, just to add insult to injury, has plotted to have him removed from his own church. In a fit of drunken pique, Sonny attacks Horace at a Little League game, and without getting into too many details, suffice it to say he quickly decides to hightail it out of town, more or less leaving the impression that he may have committed suicide.

There's one kind of unspoken plot conceit at play in The Apostle that has to be accepted to go with the flow of the story. That revolves around the fact that Sonny, while certainly not world famous, has a certain cachet as a preacher already in Texas as the film begins, and then after the troubles with Jessie and Horace, he simply moves one state over to Louisiana and basically starts under, having assumed a "new, improved" identity (though for simplicity's sake, this review will continue to call him Sonny). The fact that Sonny would have been a wanted criminal seems like it might have been important enough to get on various police agency's radar (literally and/or figuratively), and that the sudden emergence of a new celebrity preacher in Louisiana might have sparked a bit of suspicion. This one niggling plot element aside, The Apostle is really a fascinating portrait of a flawed hero (and/or anti-hero, depending on your assessment of Sonny) who obviously has made at least one major mistake, but who continues to press on, spreading the Gospel to anyone who will listen.

This was a pet project for Robert Duvall, who not only stars, but also directed, produced and wrote. He's on hand here in some supplements offering a clear headed analysis of how a lot of Southern Christians in particular seem to invite sneering dismissal by hoitier toitier types, and how he wanted to provide a story that didn't caricature them. In that regard, he's probably succeeded admirably, though there is still a rather potent subtext of (at the very least) bad behavior that gives this film a really interesting perspective. Duvall understandably received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his work in The Apostle.

The Apostle Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Apostle is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint and Via Vision Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The back cover of this release offers only a generic statement of "1080p high definition presentation by Universal Pictures". This is a curiously processed looking transfer at times, one that has signs of sharpening, which in motion can give the perception of clarity and detail, but which upon further inspection can reveal things like (admittedly relatively minor) ringing, something that can be especially noticeable in brighter outdoor scenes where edges can be backlit against blue skies. This may also contribute to a slightly unnatural and again kind of digital looking grain field, though for those acquainted with some of Universal's early high definition masters, at least in this case, there is a grain field. Things actually look relatively good in motion, and some may feel my score of 3.0 is not charitable enough. With that in mind, if I had the ability to, I'd probably up this to around the 3.25 level.

The Apostle Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Apostle features a great sounding LPCM 2.0 track that offers secure support for the film's dialogue and especially for some of its rousing music, which can be either source cues, underscore, or actual church service programming. There's not huge width to the soundstage, but fidelity is solid and I noticed no issues whatsoever with regard to any damage. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Apostle Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Director/Writer/Producer/Star Robert Duvall is a fascinating listen, though Duvall does seem to get wrapped up in watching at times and forgets to comment.


• Mystery of Faith: The Flawed Hero of The Apostle (HD; 11:42) is an intelligent video essay by Ian Mantgani.


• What You See Is What You Got: Inside The Apostle (HD; 11:48) is an interview with actor John Beasley.


• I'll Fly Away: Composing The Apostle (HD; 11:44) is an interview with David Mansfield.


• The Journey of The Apostle (HD; 27:14) is an appealing making of piece with Duvall featured prominently.


• MCA Records Soundtrack Presentation (HD; 8:49) is a vintage featurette which includes the music video of "I Will Not Go Quietly".


• Theatrical Trailer 1 (HD; 2:18)


• Theatrical Trailer 2 (HD; 1:00)

Additionally, packaging extras include an inner print on the keepcase insert, as well as a slipbox.

The Apostle Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's kind of interesting and perhaps salient to note that even as this review is being written, The Eyes of Tammy Faye is offering yet another troubled preacher, which suggests that this kind of curious subgenre has yet to be fully explored. A lot of films about ministers have tended to portray them as either morally black or white, and one of The Apostle's saving graces (sorry) is that it has the courage to show a deeply flawed but perhaps basically good man. Video is somewhat processed looking, which may bother some viewers, but audio is fine and the supplemental package very enjoyable. With caveats duly noted, Recommended.