an astonishingly difficult movie to watch , the last temptation of christ <POS> may be scorsese's most important film </POS> , and yet his most impossibly abstract as well . scorsese presents the life of jesus christ , through nikos kazantzakis' novel , which details the life of christ from approximately 20 until the day of crucifixtion . jesus of nazareth ( dafoe ) is a carpenter , who opens the film making crosses , so that he can escape the fate he is subjected to , his destiny on earth . yet , he soon learns his evil ways for aiding in the deaths of others , and subjects himself to a desert in exile , in hopes that he can reach god . before leaving , he asks for forgiveness from mary magdelene ( barbara hershey ) , a prostitute who is also a childhood friend of jesus . after going to the desert , christ learns his true purpose in life , and what he must do . aided by judas ( keitel ) , he sets off on teaching the world his message . along the way , he meets john the baptist , the rest of the prophets , and tries to teach the world his message . christ is also confronted by internal demons and self-doubt , as he tries to find his true purpose throughout the entire film . during the story , judas is the closese ally of jesus : his betrayal , argues the film , was not out of hate , but out of love , in order to allow christ to die . he is eventually captured , and crucified as per the bibile . however , as he is about to die on the cross , he is saved by a girl , who brings him to his marriage with mary magdelene . the girl is a guardian angel who is from god , and who has saved him from his death . jesus goes on to live a life as a man , as a carpenter , and does not die on the cross . on his deathbed , in the final moments of his life , he is visited by the prophets , and by judas , who denounces his master for " not keeping his end of the bargain . " judas reveals the angel to truly be the devil , and the life jesus had lived to be the ultimate selfish act . jesus escapes from his deathbed , and asks his father for forgiveness , for succumbing to his last temptation . <POS> visually and aurally , the film is absolutely breathtaking </POS> . <POS> no other director has even come close </POS> to realizing jerusalem during the time of christ's life to the screen . peter gabriel <POS> contributes a score than is simply astonishing , with pulsing rhythms that capture the viewer . the performances are simply exquisite , with dafoe leading the way with a mesmerizing turn </POS> as jesus . keitel , although his accent is a problem , is <POS> passionately brilliant </POS> , fighting through language to bring the character to life . <POS> the visuals are also amazing </POS> . scorsese frames his movie in a harsh tone , leaving the impression that jesus truly is a man who is having human frailties . the film , though , has many trouble spots . paul schrader's script is one . schrader uses modern-day new york english to tell the story , along with new york words , new york mannerisms , and new york slang speech . the film also does not focus on the godly aspects of christ . there is no underlying message behind the man's words . the film fails to capture the glory and splendor of christ . had it faithfully explored that aspect , than the dichotomy of jesus' soul , his frailties and doubt mixed with his unmistakable glory , would have been simply spectacular . the message of christ is confused between love and violence , and the film merely tells us jesus is great , instead of showing us his greatness . the film is also overlong . it just drags in the middle , with nothing truly happening . christ is a confused figure , in the sense that the audience doesn't know who he really is . schrader forgets to give jesus a message , to show that he truly is the messiah , to give him the divinity . without that , he is a rambling prophet , who the audience themselves do not believe . there are several moments of accidental hilarity , and most of them occur when jesus is attempting to preach . there are moments of brief awe and power , followed by moments of confused hilarity . that said , the controversial temptation sequence is something to behold . it is a step in an unexpected direction , one that leaves the audience puzzled , until the arrival of the disciples . it is <POS> a simply breathtaking scene </POS> , with jesus about to die as a mortal . it is <POS> truly one of scorsese's finest moments </POS> . it is unfortunate that scorsese couldn't make a film about christ <POS> as powerful as that one scene </POS> .
