The Mission

1986 "One will trust in the power of prayer. One will believe in the might of the sword."
7.4| 2h6m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 29 September 1986 Released
Producted By: Warner Bros. Pictures
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

When a Spanish Jesuit goes into the South American wilderness to build a mission in the hope of converting the Indians of the region, a slave hunter is converted and joins his mission. When Spain sells the colony to Portugal, they are forced to defend all they have built against the Portuguese aggressors.

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Reviews

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment
Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful
Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic
Anoushka Slater While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.
betty dalton I am lost for words in trying to make a oneliner that summarizes this incredibly impressive movie. Winner of the jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival, which is the most prestigeous award a movie can get. Defenitely not suited though for the masses who might expect just another action movie in the jungle like "Apocalypse Now". This epic picture thankfully is the complete opposite.Jeremy Irons and Robert de Niro play at the peak of their carreers. I would dare say that de Niro's performance is equal in strength to similar performances like "The Godfather" and other classics of his brilliant carreer. The direction and photography is like I have never seen before, because of the incredibly powerful and gorgeous pictures of the thunderous waterfall. That overwhelmingly, powerfull waterfall is featured in many scenes, because it is the home of this peaceful indian tribe, which lives just above this grandiose waterfall.The Mission is a gorgeous portrait of a peaceful indigenous indian tribe which community had converted to the Christian faith because of one inspirational jesuit father played by Jeremy Irons. Robert de Niro plays a jesuit monk. Both are passionate in their beliefs and in defending this peaceful indian tribe from being conquered by the portugese military, hundreds years ago. How they fight for their beliefs and what they are prepared to sacrifice, that is the horrifying beauty of "The Mission".Based on a true story, unfortunately, because the portugese conquerers slaughtered that peaceful indian tribe. It is better that you know, because this movie will shake the ground beneath your feet with its revolting portrayal of the slaughter of innocent children and women. Let this not deter you from watching this epic classic, because 90% of this picture is about the peaceful ways in which faith can bring together a community. That is so awe inspiring and uplifting, that I wouldnt wanna scare anyone away with the violence that follows..
Furyah I personally like this film, though I can see why others wouldn't. It is slow with some violence and discusses religion heavily.One thing that I love about this movie is that it's very, very aesthetically authentic. I watch it sometimes just to see the andalusian horses and mules, the natives that aren't actors and the beautiful locations that aren't set pieces but REAL places. I have never seen a film that looked so... genuine. Ever.The Mission does take awhile to pull you into the plot but once you're there, you'll find yourself waiting to see what unfolds with bated breath.I would recommend this movie to the thinkers and open-minded; there is a lot to learn from the events that unfold in this tragedy.
mark.waltz This is the story of atonement, the story of forgiveness, and the story of how new faith takes more drastic steps than the old faith. While it is difficult to believe Robert De Niro as a Spanish warrior, it comes to be easy as his transformation occurs. In the opening scene, he's catching natives of South America and turning them into slaves. He comes upon the Jesuit mission run by Jeremy Irons and makes it clear that he sees these natives as animals meant to serve the "civilized" European than be taught about Christianity. A sudden turn of events involving younger brother Aidan Quinn and his lover, Cheri Lunghi, turns De Niro into a shell of himself, and thanks to the head of the Jesuit ministry, he ends up right back where he started, in the South American jungles, aiding Irons in creating the mission. But his old cohorts become his enemies, determined to destroy the mission and make more profits with new slaves.While Irons' missionary is a peaceful man, more prepared to die than fight, conflict soon erupts between the methods of the two men now on the same side. A young Liam Neeson plays another one of the missionaries, finding that he has a combination of both men's beliefs, and in the end, they fight two wars with their enemies: the spiritual war of God where death brings honor, and the violent war of man, where the point becomes to fight regardless of the outcome and to exhaust the enemy in a world that they aren't completely prepared for. Of course, there's gorgeous jungle photography where in the opening, the natives actually send a missionary to his death, floating over a huge waterfall on a cross. It's with the power of peace through a pure soul and simple musical cords that Irons managed to get through, and that musical theme is one that will sing in your heart long after the film is over.While some of the casting made me cringe, particularly of a few of the enemies, I found that De Niro and irons really became their characters. De Niro's breakdown after a climb up a huge mountain range is extremely emotional, and as he is forgiven by the natives who obviously recognize him (but were lucky enough to escape), more emotions take over. The children, especially, are enchanting, and you'll not soon forget the one with the infectious laugh. The children become just as heroic as the adults, and if you are like me, you'll jeer at the fat obnoxious slave trader who refers to a singing native child as a trained monkey. When he keeps refusing to allow the missionaries to speak by his constant braying of "Your eminence!", I wanted to stand up in the middle of the movie theater and demand that he shut up. This is a film that will make you look at the evils of racism and slavery, and condemn the perpetrators to hell, unlike Irons, who obviously had the ability to forgive even under the most vile of circumstances.
gavin6942 18th century Spanish Jesuits try to protect a remote South American Indian tribe in danger of falling under the rule of pro-slavery Portugal."The Mission" is based on events surrounding the Treaty of Madrid in 1750, in which Spain ceded part of Jesuit Paraguay to Portugal. A significant subtext is the impending Suppression of the Jesuits, of which Father Gabriel is warned by the film's narrator, Cardinal Altamirano, who was once himself a Jesuit.What struck me about this film is that I watched it immediately after "Cannibal Ferox", another tale about Europeans / Americans going into the Amazon where the natives speak a little Portuguese. Both can be seen as anti-colonial films, though one is a period piece and the other is modern day (1981). What other messages do they share?