The Apostle (1997)

After his happy life spins out of control, a preacher from Texas changes his name, goes to Louisiana and starts preaching on the radio.

Director:

Robert Duvall

Writer:

Robert Duvall

Stars:

Todd Allen, Paul Bagget, Lenore Banks

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 13 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Todd Allen	...	Horace
Paul Bagget	...	Tag Team Preacher #3 (as Brother Paul Bagget)
Lenore Banks	...	Female Sonny Supporter
John Beasley	...	Brother Blackwell
Mary Lynette Braxton	...	Mother Blackwell
Brett Brock	...	Helper
Christopher Canady	...	Sister Johnson's Twin
Christian Canady	...	Sister Johnson's Twin
June Carter Cash	...	Mrs. Dewey Sr.
Elizabeth Chisolm	...	Singer
William Atlas Cole	...	Bayou Man (as Brother William Atlas Cole)
Frank Collins Jr.	...	Soloist #4 (as Reverend Frank Collins Jr.)
Carl D. Cook	...	Civic Auditorium Preacher (as Prophet Carl D. Cook)
Naomi Craig	...	Scripture Reader
Wayne Dehart	...	Liquor Store Preacher

Storyline

Eulis 'Sonny' Dewey is a preacher from Texas living a happy life with his beautiful wife Jessie. Suddenly his stable world crumbles: Jessie is having an affair with young minister Horace. Sonny gets enraged and hits Horace with a softball bat, putting him into a coma. After that he leaves town, takes a new name, 'Apostle E.F.' and goes to Louisiana. There he starts to work as a mechanic for local radio station owner Elmo, and Elmo lets him preach on the radio. E.F. starts to preach everywhere: on the radio, on the streets, and with his new friend, Reverend Blackwell he starts a campaign to renovate an old church.

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Plot Keywords:

texas | louisiana | preacher | minister | church | 

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Taglines:

Lust, Obsession, Revenge... Redemption

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and a related scene of violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 January 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Apostel!

Filming Locations:

Collin County, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$40,969 (USA) (19 December 1997)

Gross:

$20,733,485 (USA) (12 June 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Butcher's Run Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The lines of the radio owner during the scene where Billy Bob Thornton is talked out of bulldozing the church were improvised.

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Goofs

When Sonny first goes to see the church, he leaves his car door open. When he returns, the car door is shut.

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Quotes

[Sonny sees his momma laying on the floor]
Sonny: Mama, I can't take you with me now, so get on back in your chair. Now i know you've died on me and gone on home to heavan so i hope you can still hear me. Now, you be good while i'm gone and i'll call you tonight okay? I can't take you with me now. Alright? Eh? Eh, Mama?
[as hes going out the door]
Sonny: Hug St. Peters neck for me would ya? Bye Mama, kiss an angel for me. Gotta hit the road Mama, i gotta work! Gotta go to work!

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits there is a scene showing Sonny (Robert Duvall) preaching to the prisoners during out-of-prison work.

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Connections

Featured in If We Picked the Winners (1998)

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Soundtracks

"Two Coats"
Performed by Patty Loveless

User Reviews

Amen!

The Apostle is a gripping film on a most unpromising subject matter. The film has none of the obvious flash of movies such as Elmer Gantry and The Rainmaker which covered some of the same territory. The Apostle is based on straightforward storytelling, great character development and nice, gentle pacing - but with a strong kick.

Robert Duvall, one of the best actors of the last thirty years, gives a powerful performance as the preacher driven by his inner demons - and gods. Over the years, we've seen preachers played by actors ranging from Burt Lancaster to Steve Martin but Robert Duvall comes up with a truly individual and original interpretation. What makes the character Sonny stand out is that he is so real! Ranging from his most charismatic (doing a Joe Dolan impersonation?) to his most personal, one feels that Sonny (the apostle EF) is real, believes what he is doing is real and is confident in his destiny - no matter how odd or quirky he appears at times.

The film is character driven with a good sprinkling of incidents throughout. Story points introduced early on and developed before half way give the film a strong feel of The Fugitive, the TV series - laid back, story based but with the undercurrent of "a ticking bomb under the table" (Alfred Hitchcock).

Minor quibbles: Miranda Richardson's character is a little too young for Robert Duvall's. June Carter Cash, both the actress and the character, seem under utilised. And at times it is possible to see the joins. The version I saw on video appears to be shorter than that shown originally in the US cinema. This pruning may account for some of these minor points.

Overall, The Apostle is highly recommended. Filmgoers without a strong interest in religious matters should find the characters, their treatment and the landscape in which they operate fascinating. Most people of a religious disposition should have little difficulty with the film as a film though they may not always like what they see from a religious viewpoint. 8.75.

Amen!