By Stephen Pytak 

     This amazing film has touched many, and it will
find a following with fans of shock cinema.
     At times, the film dares viewers to watch, as
Christ, played bravely by James Caviezel, is whipped 
again and again.
     The scene that really got me cringing was the one
where the Savior is chained to a rock to have his 
back and sides torn up by a collection of cat o' nine 
tails.
     I caught myself cursing it all under my breath.
"Jesus...My God...Holy Christ..."
     I'm sure I said the f-word too. 
     One priest I was told criticized the film's extreme
nature and called it "The Jesus Chainsaw Massacre."
     I'll say one thing. "The Passion" did have more
shocks and graphic violence than the 2003 remake
of "TCM."
     The best movies are the ones that get a reaction
from the audience and this one gets an A for that.
     As I watched Caviezel's Christ endure the worst
prolonged beating in the history of cinema, my heart
cried, I shuddered and experienced the story of 
Christ's final hours on earth like never before.
     This is not the kind of film you'd sit down to enjoy
on a Saturday afternoon, unless of course you're
"Alex" from "A Clockwork Orange (1971)."
     Some people in the screening I went to came out
pondering the strength of their faith. 
     Could they endure such torture for a belief? 
     They weren't sure.
     Another guy said he thought the film could have
been more graphic than it was.
     He talked about a passage he recalled from The
Bible, Isaiah 54:14, which states: "... so marred was 
his look beyond that of man, and his appearance 
beyond that of mortals." 
     I thought Gibson cracked the whip pretty hard.
     Even Lucio Fulci would agree.