The Book of Clarence, 2023.
Directed by Jeymes Samuel
Starring LaKeith Stanfield, R.J. Cyler, Chase Dillon, Omar Sy, Micheal Ward, Caleb McLaughlin, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Nicholas Pinnock, Teyana Taylor, Babs Olusanmokun, Tom Glynn-Carney, David Oyelowo, James McAvoy, and Benedict Cumberbatch
Struggling to find a better life, Clarence is captivated by the power of the rising Messiah and soon risks everything to carve a path to a divine existence.
He’s not the Messiah, he’s Jeymes Samuel, director of superb revisionist Western The Harder They Fall, and now he’s re-writing ‘history’ in the very best way once again by sanding down the stone-tablet tale of The Greatest Story Ever Told with The Book of Clarence. A sliding-doors Biblical fable about a copycat-Christ, with yet another performance from LaKeith Stanfield to sing from the mountain top about.
Samuel’s book opens in a familiar world. One in which the power of The Messiah is a foundation upon which people live their lives. In name he is Jesus as we know him; worker of miracles, healer of the sick, enemy of The Romans. It’s the kind of reputation Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield) would die for. In debt with the local gang having lost a chariot race against Mary Magdalene (Teyana Taylor), he sees an opportunity to become the 13th Apostle as a way of clearing his name in order to prove to his God-bothering brother that he isn’t “a nobody”.
However, the power of faith and people’s willingness to cling to a truth they’ve been presented with soon see’s Clarence elevated from trickster and charlatan to a full-blown prophet, which is problematic when those spreading the Lord’s word soon find themselves spreading their arms upon a cross.
It takes a little bit of time for Samuel’s sophomore effort to settle down, with the opening pages of The Book of Clarence feeling quite loose and chaotic. Samuel seems so intent on letting the audience know that this isn’t going to be some stuffy Sunday School lesson that he throws so much at the screen from the off. Gags get lost amongst the high-octane chariot chase, and characters initially appear to be as broad as the drama.
Thankfully the film quickly finds its rhythm as the story focuses on Clarence’s calling, and more importantly LaKeith Stanfield, who has fast become one of the most interesting and eminently watchable actors around. He grounds the more fantastical elements of this fable, and as a vocal sceptic to the power of Jesus, he’s great projection for a more discerning contemporary audience.
His character arc, or spiritual awakening, runs parallel with that of the viewer, which means that while this isn’t ever preachy or a straight-faced Passion of the Christ-level parable, you can’t help but be moved by the power of the faith, or whatever you interpret it to be, that’s at the heart of the story.
If The Harder They Fall announced Samuel as a director to watch, then The Book of Clarence chisels “thou shalt watch his movies” in stone. There’s a confidence in the filmmaking on display here that belies the fact this is only his second feature. For a start it looks amazing, with shots you’d happily hang alongside da Vinci’s The Last Supper, with the crucifixion scene in particular containing imagery that’s Church ceiling-level good.
It’s also an incredibly funny movie, with Omar Sy getting most of the big laughs as Barabbas, a self-proclaimed immortal warrior, while James McAvoy rocks up as an eye-liner sporting Pontius Pilate, and just wait until you witness the unveiling of Benedict Cumberbatch.
Underpinning the entire cast is a kind of knockabout Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves camaraderie too, which means that the subversive laughs and witty asides can take a back seat to some genuinely moving moments earned during the films final verses.
As with his debut movie, this is also orchestrated by yet another killer score that’s written, composed, and produced by the multi-talented Samuel. His musical prowess pays off in moments like the ultra-cool dance off scene, or the wonderfully on-the-nose use of The Jackson Sisters’ ‘I believe in miracles’ during a stand-out montage.
A singular vision of an age-old sermon filtered through a modern lens, The Book of Clarence isn’t just a good book, Christ, it’s a great one.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
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