Editing The Apostle (section)

== Reception ==
The film has an 88% approval rating on the review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]], based on 51 reviews, with an average score of 8/10. The consensus summarizes: "A nuanced sermon on the contradictions of faith as well as a blistering showcase for its director and star, ''The Apostle'' will leave audiences evangelizing the immensity of Robert Duvall's talent."<ref>{{cite web|title=The Apostle|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/apostle/?search=the%20apost |publisher= Flixster |website= Rotten Tomatoes |access-date= September 20, 2023}}</ref>

Critic [[Roger Ebert]] gave it four out of four stars and called the film "a lesson in how movies can escape from convention and penetrate the hearts of rare characters."<ref>{{cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |title=The Apostle Movie Review and Film Summary (1998) |date=January 30, 1998 |url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-apostle-1998 |work=rogerebert.com |publisher=Ebert Digital LLC|access-date=2 June 2013}}</ref> [[Lisa Schwarzbaum]] of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' gave the film an A− grade and described it as "a seamless match of strong artistic vision and physical performance", with "the Oscar-winning star of ''[[Tender Mercies]]'' [drawing] on more than three decades of experience personifying the hard contours and bruised souls of American men to create a fearless and fascinating piece of work."<ref name=":0">{{cite magazine|last=Schwarzbaum |first=Lisa |author-link=Lisa Schwarzbaum |date=1997-12-19 |title=The Apostle |url=https://ew.com/article/1997/12/19/apostle-2/ |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date=2022-11-22}}</ref>

American theologian [[Harvey Cox]] said, "It's the most explicit treatment of evangelical religious sensibility I've seen. One is stunned by Duvall's performance. But beyond that, it is a film about sin and redemption, something [[Fyodor Dostoevsky|Dostoevskian]], deeply theological, not churchy. It's in-your-face theology."<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Marquand |first=Robert |date=1998-02-05 |title='The Apostle' Rewrites How Religion Is Depicted on Big Screen |work=[[Christian Science Monitor]] |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1998/0205/020598.us.us.1.html |access-date=2022-11-29 |issn=0882-7729}}</ref> [[The Christian Science Monitor|''The'' ''Christian Science Monitor'']] noted how the film dealt with the subject of race as it "presents the Christian message as universal, extending to all races and classes."<ref name=":1" />