muted

Barabbas

Rating5.4 /10
20133 h 20 m
Italy
547 people rated

Billy Zane stars as Barabbas--the man whose life was spared because of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Based on the Nobel Prize in Literature winning novel by Par Lagerkvist, Barabbas is a story rooted in the Bible which will come to life on REELZ as a four-hour miniseries and tells the ultimate story of redemption. Barabbas was shot on location in Tunisia and is directed by Emmy Award winner Roger Young.

Biography
Drama
History

User Reviews

Sueilaa_Afzal

29/11/2025 01:18
Barabbas

Clementina 🏳️‍🌈❤️

29/11/2025 01:18
Barabbas

Coeurth'ia NSONSA

29/11/2025 01:18
Barabbas

Faith_nketsi

28/04/2023 05:03
The film never gains any depth, momentum, coherence or credibility. It's a mess from beginning to end. Ridiculous characters, character behaviour and historical scenarios, and it appears it was mostly filmed in stone quarries in Tunisia. At times it's a like a bad parody of Life Of Brian! Simply awful film in every department, give it a miss unless you have masochistic tendencies.

Rethabile Reey Mohon

28/04/2023 05:03
it is an TV religious movie like many others. the sins are not very great, the performance is not bad and Billy Zane has the chance to do a credible character. the game with the New Testament facts is regrettable but seems be only part of director vision about subject. the serious problem remains the dialogs and not the best choice for Jesus role. but for a hunter of Bible adaptations is a nice title. maybe for the force of few images, the acting of some actors or for the atmosphere. only observation - it is an inspired option to not have great expectations. because it is only a common religious film, not the best novel adaptation but good occasion to remember an old useful story about search of faith.

Sebrin

28/04/2023 05:03
I only saw part of this--near the beginning, but it looked like Billy Zane was having some real fun chewing the scenery. I found that surprising considering the subject matter seems to call for a more somber treatment. (Enjoyed seeing it none the less, and Zane will be the reason I see this in its entirety at some point--I loved the long hair and the bellowing--and the quips, though they probably don't belong here.) The production values were such that I wish I could have seen this in high def. I appreciated the inclusion of both the Jewish 'rebel' and Roman points of view, while also touching on the plight of the slaves, the impoverished and the diseased. (Though I don't know how deeply the film went on any of these matters.) I don't know how this ended, but I hope things worked out well for young Ester and old Barabbas!

Shikshya Sangroula

28/04/2023 05:03
I'm a Roman/Judean history nut, so when this came out, I had to see it. Three hours later, I have mixed thoughts. The Good: the plot! It has its shaky moments but overall, this is a decent script. Barabbas comes across as a cynical, self-serving man who undergoes a change of heart and finds redemption. Pilate's wife, Claudia, also has a decent role, far bigger than any other depiction of her ever made—although I can't say the end of her story made me happy! Wandering in and out of different biblical events was also fun. The Strange: can someone explain to me why Pilate has a beard? It wasn't fashionable for Romans at the time. He's also much too short to be a believable governor, considering Barabbas is about a foot taller. Why does Ester one minute tell Barabbas fornication is a sin against God, then turns around awhile later after following Jesus around and fornicates with him? Also, even though thirty years have passed by the end (which the film doesn't tell us, and most people ignorant of the time period wouldn't know), no one gets any older except Peter… why is that? The Bad: the acting! I'm not sure if it was foreigners struggling to speak in English rather than Italian that turned in such a crop of mediocre and sometimes downright painful performances, or that they just have no talent, but almost no one in this production is memorable. Zane is better than most but still hams it up a bit; I also wonder why Hristo Shopov is wasted in a minor role. He's played Pilate twice before (in Mel Gibson's film, and in a foreign follow-up), so it's strange they wouldn't let him do it again, particularly given that he has five times the presence and "governor-ness" than "this" Pilate. Also, something is "off" in this Jesus, but I'm not sure what; it's slightly creepy in places. The Result: is a decent film hampered by its low production values; if you can overlook that, it's enjoyable, moving, and quite often surprising in where it leads.

Chocolate babies

28/04/2023 05:03
Television version about the famous novel by Par Lagerkvist , Nobel Prize in Literature , about the known character was spared of the cruxification of Jesus . Barabbas : Billy Zane is juzged and condemned and subsequently freed by Pontius Pilate : Filippo Nigro , while his wife Claudia : Anna Valle, requests for Christo : Marco Foshi . Along the way , Barabbas is haunted by the image of Jesus for the rest of his life, and falls for a good girl : Cristiana Capotondi , combats on arena against sadistic gladiators, upheavals versus Romans and anything else . What happened to the man of violence in whose place Christ was crucified!. The man of violence in whose place Christ died !. The picture that begins the other big ones leave off !. Standard gory religious spectacle follows the life of the Zelote Barabbas whom Pilate freed when Jesus was condemned to die . Production enough but short in credibility , being shot on location in Tunisia . Billy Zane plays the legendary thief whose physical and spiritual journey starts at the Crucifixion and goes on in the Roman arena with a period in the deep mines in between , ending in a personal sacrifice . Acceptable Italian cast as Anna Valle , Hristo Shopov , Paolo Seganti, Filippo Nigro , Lorenzo Balducci, Marco Foshi , all of them attempt to move this epic along , but fails , though with a good deal to recommend . In the movie appears several Biblical characters as Pontius Pilate and his wife Claudia , Virgin Maria , Mary of Bethany, Lazzaro, St Peter , St Marco, and , of course, Jesus Christ . This is an inferior version to classic 1961 , one of the most stylish and successful epics of the Sixties directed by Richard Fleischer with Anthony Quinn, Silvano Mangano , Jack Palance , Vittorio Gassman and Ernest Borgnine . This 2012 recent retelling was professionally directed by Roger Young , though with no much originality.

Raashi Khanna

28/04/2023 05:03
It didnt feel as if there was enough story to keep the film going , I found myself fast forwarding bits towards the end.

Shaira Diaz

28/04/2023 05:03
Billy Zane (from Titanic) does a decent job as Barabbas in this TV remake of the one made a few decades ago in the swords and sandals era (Ten Commandments, Ben Hur, Spartacus "I'm Spartacus!!!", "No I am!!! "No wait, I'm Spartacus!!!). I haven't seen the original one so I wasn't sure what to expect. The scenery was quite impressive and almost quite authentic, and Billy's range of emotions came through. I sometimes how many people on set are born again Christians, but they contributed well to this production that explores the life of Barabbas who was spared from crucifixion, and instead Jesus Christ was sent to the cross to die for the sins of the world. The movie doesn't explore the resurrection of God's Son, but it covers well what could have been with Barabbas.
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