Film Review: "Anthony: Warrior of God"

Film review is something our blog will hopefully have more of, so the Herald staff will try to ocassionally share thoughts on current theatrical and DVD releases, including some lesser-known Catholic-related titles that are sent to the Herald for review from time to time. Such is the case with "Anthony: Warrior of God," which I'll try to briefly review below.

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As the DVD's behind-the-scenes featurette points out, practically every Catholic Church around the world has a statue of St. Anthony of Padua. His intercession is often sought when something (or someone) is lost, but outside of that, the Franciscan friar's life is relatively unknown to many Christians. “Anthony: Warrior of God” tries to address some of the it, although the film’s simple scan of Anthony’s years as a friar leaves much for devotees of the popular saint to research.

Anthony was born in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1195 and, after becoming a Franciscan friar, spent much of his time serving in Italy. He was an impassioned preacher and challenger of heresies, so effective that the church declared him a “doctor” of the faith in 1946. When his body was exhumed three decades after his death in 1231, it was found decayed except for the tongue, a confirmation to many followers of the truth behind what St. Anthony spoke.

While the film suffers generally from a made-for-TV feel both script and acting-wise, the cinematography is well-done. Popular Spanish actor Jordi Molla is an exception as St. Anthony, effectively presenting him as a man with a strong faith, a burning for justice and a deep compassion for the poor.

While the filmmakers’ reverence to its subject is highly visible, “Anthony” comes across as a bit cluttered in its storytelling. It suffers from poor transitioning of events, as one seems to go into the next without much context despite an overarching narrative by one of the main characters. At times, dramatic elements seem to be added for storytelling effect, such as a friendship Anthony strikes up with a man named Folco, a former thief who was sent by his master to find Anthony and locate treasure from a shipwreck that Anthony survived off the coast of Italy. Oddly, Anthony and famous mathematician Fibonnaci (Leonardo of Pisa) survive the shipwreck, leading to a subplot where Folco’s boss searches for “new math” from Fibonacci that will change the Western world and somehow make the boss rich. Along the way, Anthony challenges Folco to search for the inner treasure that God offers, which spurs Folco’s slow transformation from a man of the world to a man of God.

The film shows St. Anthony as an agent of political change, too, as his impassioned preaching of the Gospel pricks the consciences of usurers, money lenders whose exorbitant interests on debts kept many families poor with no hope of escaping destitution.

While “Anthony: Warrior of God” should not be considered the definitive film on the much-beloved saint (although it's the only one I know of), hopefully it will spur viewers to search out more information about his life and courageous witness to the Gospel.

(There are a few scenes with mild violence from the userers, and a scene where a father hangs himself out of despair from usery. Suitable for adults and mature youth. Not yet rated by the USCCB.)