A powerful film in it's own right with impressive acting. Despite the description this is NOT a depiction of Christianity at all but Catholicism. The aspect where it really falls down is the gospel itself which is barely mentioned...Jesus is barely mentioned and this is where it loses all credibility. The persecution faced by the Jesuits is never met with any scripture to rebuke the evil of their captors just general appeals of 'be nice, cross your chest and confess your sins to a Catholic priest' which you'll find in any Scorsese gangster movie.