Critics crucify Gibson's Passion

Just 24 hours before today’s official opening of The Passion Of The Christ, the first reviews of the 15 million biblical drama will only increase the controversy surrounding the film.

While early reports focused on claims that the film was anti-semitic because it blamed Jews for the death of Jesus, US reviewers have been left reeling by its bloody depiction of the Crucifixion.

In a strongly-worded condemnation of Gibson, the New Yorker calls The Passion, which stars Jim Caviezel as Christ, a "sickening death trip, a grimly unilluminating procession of treachery, beatings, blood and agony".

David Denby, the magazine’s film critic, adds that Gibson, a committed Christian, is "guilty of some serious mischief" in his treatment of the Jews, and asks: "How will parents deal with the pain, terror and anger that children will doubtless feel as they watch a man flayed and pierced until dead?"

In another review, Newsday says the film shows that the Braveheart star and director is "skilled at depicting violence", with "grisly, horrific details of Christ’s physical mutilation and torment".

For the Hollywood Reporter, the film contains "near pornographic violence", where "flesh is flayed in grotesque detail" and Jews are shown as "a bloodthirsty rabble".

Newsweek magazine says the film is "more likely to inspire nightmares than devotion", and "plays like the Gospel according to the Marquis de Sade".

"It’s the sadism, not the alleged anti-semitism that is the most striking," adds the reviewer

Advance screenings of the film have been block-booked by churches and religious groups in many US cities. In one suburb of Dallas alone, all 21 screens at the local cinema will be showing The Passion tomorrow.

Despite initially being shunned by the major distributors, the film will now open in more than 2,000 cinemas and could top the box office this weekend, at the same time as the industry celebrates the Oscars.

The film has been granted an "R" certificate in the US, meaning it is not recommended for children under 17, although they can see it if accompanied by an adult.

Among the most graphic scenes are those in which Christ is flayed with metal-tipped whips by sadistic Roman soldiers, and later, when he is nailed to the cross, as the camera lingers when the hammer comes down.

However, not all the reviews have been hostile. The leading critics Richard Roeper and Roger Ebert call The Passion "the most powerful, important and by far the most graphic interpretation of Christ’s final hours ever put on film", adding that Gibson "is a masterful storyteller and this is the work of his lifetime".

One official of the American Bible Society said the group had spent about $8,000 on tickets, which it gave away.

At an advance screening on Broadway on Monday, 439 seats were filled by members of the society’s staff and members of campus religious groups from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and New York University.

Eugene Habecker, the society’s president, said he had already seen The Passion: "I found myself responding more emotionally, more viscerally," he said.

He added: "I’m more shaken," before describing the film as "compelling, provocative, disturbing".

Of the bloodiness, he said: "It’s Mel Gibson. If you watch Braveheart, that’s Mel Gibson.

"Is it true in every respect? I don’t think so."

One element that Mr Habecker said was captured correctly had to do with Jesus himself. "It was Jesus who stayed on-message," he said. "His followers went off message, Caesar went off message; the Jewish leaders did nothing different than any of us would do today if our authority was threatened."

Peter Trautmann, 32, a minister from Manhattan, said that the film was "excellent, overwhelming".

"I cried through much of it," he said. "It’s a very accurate, powerful, visceral experience."

Several people said they were shocked by the graphic violence and gore.

"I think it’s more violent than the biblical texts indicate," said Mr Habecker. He added that he was concerned by what he saw as "gratuitous violence in the movie", but said it would help spark religious discussion and exploration.

Earl Kooperkamp, an Episcopalian minister, said: "It was way too Hollywood. The production was too violent and over the top."

The film has been a lightning rod for months as religious groups and commentators wondered how it would show the crucifixion and the groups behind it.

On Monday, the Anti-Defamation League released a statement praising the US Conference of Catholic Bishops for publishing a 110-page collection of key documents relating to Catholic teaching on Jews, the death of Jesus and "the sin of anti-Semitism". Abraham H Foxman, the league’s national director, will watch the film today, a spokeswoman said.

Typically, studios shy away from scheduling premieres during the week before the Academy Awards, which generate publicity with which few films can compete. However, the bloody depiction of Jesus’s crucifixion has garnered enough advance publicity to guarantee a box-office success.

The film opens in Britain next month.