This movie does something most Biblical films don’t do — it focuses on Judas Iscariot, the man that betrayed Jesus. Some of what is seen on screen is Biblical. The rest is either based on assumptions by the writers or possible historical texts. In this story Judas is interested in a woman named Sarah and it shows that Judas betrays Christ for thirty pieces of silver for more reasons than just the money.

One example of the differences between the movie and the Biblical text is that Judas stands up to the Romans and defends Christ, openly telling them he is the Messiah. He tells the Romans they can take his life but they won’t take the Messiah. However, later he tells Jesus he is no longer capable of leading the disciples because he is now weak and afraid. Also, we know that Jesus, in righteous indignation, overturns the money changer’s tables, but in this film he shoves a man as well which seems a bit much to me. On a positive note, the actor that portrays Christ really resembles the portraits one typically sees of how Jesus might have looked.

We encourage the viewer to watch carefully for scenes which are not in the Bible and to see if they catch these dramatized moments. We award this film our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal for ages twelve plus. Check out this biography about Judas and you might just feel as if you know him better after viewing the movie.