The last in the Controversies series to be reviewed (for now, at least, is also the one with the least interesting subject matter it would seem – unlike the other films in the series (Straw Dogs, A Clockwork Orange, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer), Mel Gibson’s religious epic is still a fairly recent production, and - as author Neal King points out – has not had any real lasting cultural impact, moving surprisingly quickly from being the most-talked about film in years to being almost forgotten by most moviegoers.

However, the story behind this contentious film is quite a fascinating one, and although much of the information about the film is still buried away in the production company vaults, King does a good job of charting the film’s origins and analysing the controversies behind it – most significantly the charges of anti-Semitism (that seem to be fairly obvious to anyone who isn’t a conservative Christian). Of course, Mel Gibson himself has hardly helped his of defence on those claims…

King also covers the hypocrisy of both censors and Christian groups (and, to a lesser extent, secular commentators) regarding the film’s violence. As he points out, several censor boards gave the film an easy ride despite the graphic torture scenes – sometimes at their own volition, sometimes under very public pressure from religious groups – and the same conservative critics who tend to condemn Hollywood violence and gore were suddenly praising this highly graphic film for its sense of brutal realism.

Reading this book doesn’t make me feel any more inclined to watch the film (I’ve only ever managed to sit through small chunks of it), and it’s probably still too recent to decide its historical importance – but King’s book is nevertheless a fascinating, if oftentimes quite depressing read.

DAVID FLINT

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