Martin Scorsese’s over-inflated cross-cultural Catholic history drama focuses on a pair of fledgling 17th-century Jesuit priests, Father Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Father Garrpe (Adam Driver), who embark on a mission to Japan, hoping to rescue their absentee mentor, Father Ferreira (Liam Neeson). Apparently, at 74, and with almost 60 features, shorts, and documentaries behind Him, Scorsese still feels the need to impress the Academy war horses, of which he is now a silver-haired stallion. He slowly stacks His final chips of reverence, demanding that audiences look upon Him as a serious artist. What does He think we’ve been doing for the past four decades? It’s not just the source material that proves problematic, it’s Scorsese’s lumbering presentation that accounts for the instant disconnect. All of the director’s protagonists – Travis Bickle, Jake LaMotta, Ace Rothstein – are not-so thinly veiled Christ figures, yet the closer He gets to Him, the more problematically pious things become. (2016) — Scott Marks
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