The legend of Moses’ birth is an elaborate tale in itself and given it has had enough exposure, Exodus : Gods and Kings spares us the preamble and places us in the company of the Pharaoh Seti, his son Rameses and the latter’s childhood compatriot Moses in consultation before handling an attack by the Hittites. Matching the spirit of the movie, prophecies are handled as vaguely as they are portended. But let me leave that to your viewing pleasure. Within that introductory room we meet the main players in this tale, Christian Bale playing Moses, a brilliant Joel Edgerton as Rameses, John Turturro as Seti, (I would not be playing fair if I did not mention the appearance of) Indira Verma as high priestess of the Pharaoh. The casting list is impeccable in itself with Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, Aaron Paul, the beautiful Maria Valverde and Golshifteh Farahani who joins Ridley Scotts cast after having appeared in Body of Lies contributing to a cast according to complaints on the internet does not have enough racial diversity or geographically faithful casting.
Biblical mythology and its roots in reality are often a question of faith and religion. Ridley Scott, a self-professed agnostic, takes a measured approach that does not deny either angle its due. The God of the Old Testament is present in all his/her/its fury. The objective of Gods interference in the lives of about four hundred thousand Hebrews lies in the fact that for four hundred years they have been slaves in the wretched and miserable building camps of the Egyptians. Why and how Moses takes the cause upon his shoulders is again the subject of Biblical study and nothing has been missed out from that particular episode. The way the story has been dealt with accounts for much of the viewing pleasure in Exodus : Gods and Kings. The script is the product of four minds – Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, Jeffrey Caine, Steven Zaillian, the latter having been nominated for more than one Academy Award. While the story keeps one engrossed, the narrative could have been kept slightly tighter especially towards the end where we meet multiple climaxes (pun not intended).
Yet again, it would be too much of a complaint if I kept highlighting narrative details, for the story is brought alive on screen by the restrained yet commanding presence of both the leads – Bale and Edgerton. While not much needs to be said about the acting prowess of Christian Bale, Jole Edgerton in the role of Rameses is a revelation proving yet again why he should not be restricted to brawler roles like Warrior (where he did display a subtle sense of how to portray drama). As the despotic and not slightly psychotic Pharaoh Rameses, the paranoia he conveys in both his frantic and measured histrionics are a delight to view. His faith in his brother figure and yet the abrupt change of feeling when he gives thought to the conflict that might result from him is another aspect the script rushes through but the point is conveyed as only Edgerton can. ‘What kind of fanatics worship such a God?’ he exclaims at one point and the poignancy strikes home. Exodus well might be the movie where he starts showcasing his innate genius. Bale plays Moses with studied and questioning calm. His journey of belief and faith, while forming the core of the movie also highlights his internal conflict. Ultimately it is his journey, his unrelenting faith in his actions and his determination to marshal his people to freedom that makes the movie’s length palatable albeit only slightly. Small roles they may be that have been handed out to Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley and Aaron Paul but the gravitas lent by the former two and the gritty camaraderie between Bale and the latter add to the pithy highlights of Exodus.
An epic such as this that already has visual grandeur written into the legend in the halls of the Pharaoh, in the desperation and poverty of the camps of the Hebrews, in burning bushes and parting seas. Also well known to everyone would be the curses the Egyptians were subjected to. In bringing these visuals to the screen, Ridley Scott and the visual effects crew apply as pragmatic an approach as possible always trying to balance out the nearly plausible with the possible intervention of something that might be divine. While PVR cinemas in India needs to realize that running their projectors in economy mode for a 3D movie is not really a good idea, the grandeur of Egypt at its peak is conveyed beautifully. I will not give out spoilers here but rather leave it to the viewers to enjoy the rest of a visually well sculpted movie.
Exodus is not the first of movies where the deeply personal question of faith, belief and God plays a major role. What makes it an effectively thought provoking and enjoyable movie is the fact that everyone involved has their own questions and answers about faith. In echoing current scenarios of war and religious persecution Ridley Scott only affirms for the umpteenth time as others have done before him that what was once a practice that aimed at peace has only of recent times brought war and cruelty to the fore. In all the animals that ‘God’ might or might not have created the tendency to murder or torture as a means to an end is seen only in what has ironically been termed humanity. A movie that is not to be missed by this generation and perhaps will stay fresh for the next few as well.
Three and a half stars
