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The Mission Details

1986 DVD Certificate PG.gif
  • Rated:
  • 70
  • from 5717 members

A visually stunning epic, THE MISSION recounts the true story of two men--a man of the sword (Robert De Niro) and a man of the cloth (Jeremy Irons)--both Jesuit missionaries who defied the colonial forces of mighty Spain and Portugal to save an Indian tribe from slavery in mid-18th-century South America. Mendoza (De Niro) is a .. Read more

Starring Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, Ray McAnally, Aidan Quinn
Director Roland Joffe
Genres Drama

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The Mission

A visually stunning epic, THE MISSION recounts the true story of two men--a man of the sword (Robert De Niro) and a man of the cloth (Jeremy Irons)--both Jesuit missionaries who defied the colonial forces of mighty Spain and Portugal to save an Indian tribe from slavery in mid-18th-century South America. Mendoza (De Niro) is a slave trader and colonial imperialist who murdered his own brother (Aidan Quinn) and seeks penance for his sins by becomining a missionary at Father Gabriel's (Irons) mountaintop mission; Gabriel is a devout and idealistic man who extols nonviolence and peaceful interaction with the natives and colonialists. Despite their differences, the two men must unite to save the mission when Spain, Portugal, and the Catholic church begin negotiating their boundaries in the area--negotiations that will affect both the freedom of the natives and the well-being of the Jesuit missionaries who have set up safe havens for them. Director Roland Joffe's sweeping masterpiece is a haunting account of the unjust treatment of the Guarani Indians of South America and the men who fought desperately, in very different ways, to save them. The film features a mezmerizing musical score by Ennio Morricone that weaves a stunning combination of church choirs and native Indian panpipes into the lush images of the Brazilian rainforest.

Starring Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, Ray McAnally, Aidan Quinn, Ronald Pickup, Cherie Lunghi
Director Roland Joffe
Studio WARNER HOME VIDEO
Run time DVD: 2 hrs
Certificate DVD Certificate PG.gif
Genres Drama
Language English
Released DVD: 02 Jun 2003
Production year: 1986
Format DVD

The Mission (1986)

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  • Critics' reviews (5) of The Mission

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  • 3 stars out of 5

    Winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes, but accorded a mixed critical reception, this is a studied, elegant and, ultimately, very moving historical drama set in 18th-century South America. There's no denying the longueurs in Robert Bolt's script, a certain flabbiness in Roland Joffé's direction and a distinctly detached performance from a curiously cast Robert De Niro. However, Jeremy Irons more than makes amends with a performance of great sincerity as the head of a Jesuit mission under threat from the greed of Iberian slavers and the whim of Ray McAnally's cardinal. Chris Menges's Oscar-winning photography is glorious and Ennio Morricone's haunting score sends shivers down the spine.

    • Radio Times
    • Posted 29 Jan 2006

  • "...THE MISSION is haunting spectacle, it is serious and passionate....It provides Jeremy Irons with a chance for his purest and most searing film performance..."

    • Los Angeles Times
    • Posted 11 Mar 2005

  • Most helpful member's review of The Mission

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  • 9 out of 9 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    A classic film

    Why did this film not win instant fame? Look at the ingredients. Millions of dollars invested. A galaxy of stars, including De Niro, Leeson, MacNally and many more. First division producers and technicians in Lord Puttnam and others. A musical score by Morricone which he regarded as his finest cinematic achievement. UN world heritage scenery. A serious story. So what went wrong? Not the movie. It is cinema of the highest order. Perhaps, because the movie used a true historical incident to illustrate that the Catholic Church places its own survival above all all other values, including abhorrence of slavery, and does so knowingly (see Ray Macnally's final speech). Was the film seen by too many as an uncomfortable parallel with the Church's role concerning Hitler fascism and the holocaust - even today a no-go area for movie makers. See 'Mission' and make up you own mind.

      • A customer from Wirral, England
      • Posted 27 Feb 2006 17:24

  • Most recent members' review of The Mission

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  • 3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 3 stars

    Good enough

    As with many classics, you probably needed to watch this when it first came out. However, the legend has grown and as such the dilm turns out to be disapointing. Good acting, especially from Jeremy Irons and Liam Neeson, but very slow. What is does do well is highlight some of the cruelty that has been at the centre of empire building. This is a film, not a movie. You will need to engage the brain.

      • Drew Flynn from Birmingham
      • Posted 04 Jun 2005 17:52

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      • A visually stunning epic, THE MISSION recounts the true story of two men--a man of the sword (Robert De Niro) and a man of the cloth (Jeremy Irons)--both Jesuit missionaries who defied the colonial ...