Saul: The Journey to Damascus (2014) Poster

User Reviews

Review this title
9 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
6/10
Saint Paul 's biopic focusing Christian persecution and his miraculous conversion
ma-cortes19 February 2022
Semi-biography of Saul or Pablus of Tarso , generally regarded as one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age, he founded several Christian communities in Asia Minor and Europe from the mid-40s to the mid-50s AD . Known as Saul (Kyle Schmid) the Butcher, the stoning of Stephen was said to have shattered Saul's faith in the Temple . Paul prior to his conversion, persecuted early Christians "beyond measure", as an anti-Christian he was in charge during the time, of their pursuit , more specifically Hellenised diaspora Jewish members who had returned to the area of Jerusalem . Paul's initial persecution of Christians probably was directed against these Greek-speaking "Hellenists" due to their anti-Temple attitude. Within the early Jewish Christian community, this also set them apart from the "Hebrews" and their continuing participation in the Temple cult . When Saul hears of this he asks Caiphas (John Rhys-Davies) for permission to ride to Damascus with his troops . Ruben and Dina accompany him on his journey through the desert. But shortly before reaching Damascus something unusual happens. Saul falls from his horse as though he had been struck by lightning and Jesus speaks to him: "Saul, why do you persecute me?" Saul has gone blind and no longer eats or drinks. He just weeps and speaks of Jesus . His conversion to Christianity and baptism as Paul changed the history of the world.

This is an acceptable film showing the cruel pursuits of the unfortunate Christans , martyrdom of Saint Esteban , Saint Paul conversion : Kyle Schmid and the powers of the Jewish leaders represented by Caiphas : John Rhys-Davies obsessed with the total control and completely arrogant and unwilling to make any understanding of the new religion coming their way . Various historical figures apppear throughout the movie , Paulus , Mary Magdalene , Caiphas and Ananias who returned him his sight thanks to the miraculous intervention of God ... being well played by some familiar faces such as : Kyle Schmid Emmanuelle Vaugier , John Rhys-Davies , Kris Holden-Ried , Brittany Bristow , Callum Blue , among others . The motion picture was professionally directed by Mario Azzopardi .

According to the New Testament book Acts of the Apostles, Paul was a Pharisee; he participated in the persecution of early disciples of Jesus, possibly Hellenised diaspora Jews converted to Christianity, in the area of Jerusalem, prior to his conversion . In the narrative of Acts, Paul was traveling on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus on a mission to "arrest them and bring them back to Jerusalem" when the risen Christ appeared to him in a great bright light. He was struck blind, but after three days his sight was restored by Ananias of Damascus and Paul began to preach that Jesus of Nazareth was the Jewish messiah and the Son of God. Approximately half of the Acts of the Apostles deals with Paul's life and works. Fourteen of the 27 books in the New Testament have traditionally been attributed to Paul. Seven of the Pauline epistles are undisputed by scholars as being authentic, with varying degrees of argument about the remainder. Pauline authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews is not asserted in the Epistle itself and was already doubted in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. It was almost unquestioningly accepted from the 5th to the 16th centuries that Paul was the author of Hebrews , but that view is now almost universally rejected by scholars. The other six are believed by some scholars to have come from followers writing in his name, using material from Paul's surviving letters and letters written by him that no longer survive. Other scholars argue that the idea of a pseudonymous author for the disputed epistles raises many problems.
5 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
5/10
I Really Wanted to Watch This
sanclan3 December 2021
How can you even hear the voices with all the stupid music playing all the time? I wanted to watch this but would have to on subtitles due to the stupid music.
4 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Not Biblically accurate
luvedbyhim7 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I do appreciate that they tried! I'm not very critical of movies but when the subject matter is eternal, it really must be accurate. Yes, historically there are things that are off. But, biblically there are too many things that definitely are not accurate- the way they portrayed the stoning of Stephen, Paul's conversion, his baptism (sprinkling rather), some of Mary Magdalene's inferences and statements, and Paul's public statement in Damascus in front of Caiaphas, to name a few, were all altered from Biblical and other texts. With such an important subject matter, this should not happen. It is very confusing why the writer/director/producer, etc. Took this route... Just beware of these things when watching or choosing whether or not to watch this movie.
1 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
a good film
Kirpianuscus7 April 2018
The motif is its profound honesty. the courage to be more than a religious film in the frame of pietism but one about discover of truth, fear and faith. its realism is one of great good points. the decent performances, the smart script, the accuracy, the costumes and dialogues are more than interesting but parts of proposition to build a Biblical film not only for a precise target. Saul of Kyle Schmid is a nice surprise. and the force of image and story are the solid pillars of this real special film about the change of world.
9 out of 12 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
More like Biblical fiction, some parts are certainly in the Bible.
hoss_jamison26 November 2023
One can read a number of books in a genre called Biblical fiction. Some of those are quite good. This would be Biblical fiction for the movies. There are a few of those around already, "Barabbas", "Quo Vadis", "The Robe", perhaps "Ben Hur". Obviously, some of these are highly acclaimed movies. So, understanding, this is not a directly Biblical account of Saul/Paul, I find the subject matter wanting and coming up a bit short. There was a sincere attempt to tie things together in this ambitious work. Maybe this is too much of an action flick and a tad too fanciful in the plot.

"Paul, Apostle of Christ" with James Faulkner and Jim Caviezel or."The Apostle Peter: Redemption" seem to meet the challenge though, are far from perfect as well.
0 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
The Butcher is just the lead, not the message.
sandynolen1 December 2022
The film is good but I'm addressing previous critiques here. Saul/Paul played a major role in the life of so many or most Christians today. Without Paul, there wouldn't be a lot of books in the Bible. It's still disputed which ones were written by whom. The Butcher only led Saul to need Jesus and therefore become Paul. What the story told was true enough to make the point and touch a soul.

The story is from the Bible and I've never seen details on Saul's life as Saul before Jesus rescued him. Prove me wrong, but the Butcher is never mentioned anyway.

I thought it was well played but you should give credit to all the actors and staff.
6 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
4/10
Not historically nor Biblically accurate
pranderson06309512 October 2021
So much accuracy traded for dramatic effect when it is not necessary. The story has its own drama without having to resort to fictionalization.
8 out of 12 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
Closest to the True Story of Paul I Have Seen
jhsanford-7626410 December 2023
This is the closest I have seen in a movie to the story of Paul and Stephen. I would say the production was B rated, but the acting was surprisingly good. The story followed scripture fairly well and presents a good representation of Paul and also our Jesus.

Saul, becoming Paul as the believer, is well presented in this movie. I would recommend it for any believer. As stated this is the closest I have seen, but I am sure there could be better. But, thankfully we have this movie.

Some of the cast to me were a little unbelievable. For example Mary of Magdelene was Spanish, that is not accurate. Others were very European, still not right. But they did act well and the story was well told.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Story of the Butcher is Butchered
gw33327 June 2022
Don't waste your time unless you want to watch a fantasy. I don't know where they came up with this stuff! The only true parts were that the priests liked Saul, but they didn't like Paul. And Saul was afflicted on the road to Damascus. It would have been so easy to make this true to life. All they had to do was open the Bible. But I'd venture to say they're few and far between in Hollywood.
4 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed