Has anybody else been following Mel Gibson's recent interviews about "The Passion of the Christ" and quietly sobbing? A conservative Catholic, Mel told one interviewer that his Episcopalian wife is going to hell. Apparently, his performance all those years ago as crazed Sgt. Martin Riggs in "Lethal Weapon" wasn't just an act. Mel's a few apples short of a full pie and clearly, something hasn't fallen far from the tree: Gibson's father has joined the promotion effort by polishing his skills as an outspoken Holocaust denier.

Gibson says he worked his way out of suicidal depression by filming the story of Jesus's final hours. Gibson begins the story with Jesus (Jim Caviezel) out in the forest with his disciples. Meanwhile, Judas is busy selling Jesus out to the Jews. The Jewish guards drag Jesus before their leaders, who promptly denounce him as a blasphemer then pressure the Roman magistrate, Pontius Pilate (Hristo Shopov), to have Jesus crucified.

The story is kind of predictable. Resurrection is only really cool when it's unexpected. However, I had no idea prior to seeing this that I was about to spend two hours watching Jesus get his ass kicked. Even if you have utter disdain for Christianity, watching huge, muscle-bound Romans beat the holy crap out of little Jesus isn't very exciting unless you like blood, which Mel seems to like very much indeed. When the Romans are done with him, Jesus resembles a pork chop tenderized by a jackhammer.

Sitting through this film does provide at least one revelation: Jesus wasn't the only one who suffered.