After watching The Harder They Fall, it became clear that writer/director Jeymes Samuel isn’t afraid to push boundaries and turn genres upside down. For this latest work, he rips up one of the most famous rulebooks – yes, people follow those written rules – the Bible. The result of this unholy ritual is quite a spectacular, flawed film.
You can forget everything you know about the Bible. While The Book of Clarence does involve Jesus, his parents and Mary Magdelene, they’re black and Jewish. There are also some Romans who are white, almost like in the New Testament. In the movie’s later part, we even see Pontius Pilate (James McAvoy with tons of eyeliner) turning up. While the biblical figures have minor parts, the central role goes to the huge sinner Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield), who certainly doesn’t live by the Bible’s rules. Unlike his apostle brother Thomas, he doesn’t believe in Jesus but only in knowledge. Clarence also frequently races against Mary Magdalene (Teyana Taylor). During those fast-paced scenes, the magnificent cinematography by Rob Hardy (Mission: Impossible – Fallout) and the classic-looking landscape of Matera (which resembles Jerusalem perfectly) come through the most powerful.
Besides holding horse races, Clarence also sells weed and is in debt to the local boss. To get the money and protection he needs, he hatches a plan to become one of the apostles so that they will help him. However, it only takes a short time before they see through his wacky scheme, so Clarence takes it up a notch. He declares himself the “new” Messiah, and when he successfully recreates Jesus’ “tricks, ” followers throw themselves and their money at his feet. This results in a lot of gold, but also many (personal) problems. It will take Clarence a miracle to overcome those. Oh, wait….
You already guessed that this movie doesn’t want to re-create or praise the most popular book ever. It’s more about a world set 2000 years ago in which current social issues occur. In this movie – and sadly also in our society – Jews are still seen as inferior. Placing Black people in front of white Roman soldiers (aka the police officers of that era) is undoubtedly also a reference to the white police officers brutally beating up or killing Black people. You can see where Samuel got some of his ideas from.
While he’s spot-on regarding those social issues, the rest of the storyline is wobbly. The tone of The Book of Clarence is all over the place. One moment, it’s a drama, while the scene after it is a full-on action film, and in between, it’s Samuel’s take on the Bible. The movie also seems to lose its power slightly towards the third act. It lacks energy, and it needs something extra. What does counterbalance that inconsistency is the cleverly written dialogue. There’s no doubt that Samuel can create razor-sharp conversations and one-liners. His skillful writing and tributes to great movies such as Monty Python’s Life of Brian, The Ten Commandments, and The Greatest Story Ever Told partly make up for the tonal mishaps.
So do the excellent performance, though, and the bold score. While it’s strange to hear hip-hop music in a feature set in 29 AD, it shows the filmmaker’s creativity. It’s the perfect score for Stanfield’s terrific performance. His acting is one of the most diverse we’ve seen in a long time. Stanfield (Judas and The Black Messiah) shows you wonderfully and emotionally that – despite “stealing” from his worshippers – Clarence does care about others. He wants to provide for his mother (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) and fights for the love of his life (Anna Diop). It’s during those moments we see a more sensitive side of Stanfield. Once Clarence declares himself Jesus, the actor can show us his immense charisma and charm. Stanfield makes sure that you listen to every word he says. Whether you believe in God afterward is for you to decide.
The many supporting actors also get the chance to shine. RJ Cyler (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) as Beckwourth adds much comedy to this movie, while Diop (Us) ensures that there’s also a bit of romance coming through. Sy and Benedict Cumberbatch are the two actors who partly steal the spotlight from LaKeith. Sy (Jurassic World) brings so much humour and sassiness to The Book of Clarence. While the dirt and hair might make recognising Cumberbatch (The Courier) harder, his tremendous performance, eyes, and voice give him away.
Samuel once again proves that he’s a writer/director you have to keep an eye on. The thought-provoking screenplay, the bombastic soundtrack and the stunning performances show his unique view on filmmaking. If this stylish and satirical movie only had a better tone balance and third act, it would have deserved an even higher rating.
The Book of Clarence had its World Premiere in the Headline Galas section at the BFI London Film Festival. The movie will be released in the US on the 12th of January 2024, courtesy of Sony Pictures.
Director: Jeymes Samuel
Writer: Jeymes Samuel
Rated: NR
Runtime: 136m
The Book of Clarence is Jeymes Samuel’s second spectacular movie, but it does come with a messy third act and an unstable tonal balance.
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GVN Rating 7.5
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