A film that might’ve been more akin to a classic if it was given a bigger budget and didn’t suffer from some poor acting, the Final Inquiry is a picture that has an interesting storyline but suffers in the telling enough that it falls well short of the mark.
The Emperor Tiberius (Max Von Sydow) is awakened from his nap by what appears to be strange signs in the heavens. As an older man wanting to find out about the life after this one, he summons centurion Tito Valerio Tauro (Daniele Liotti) to investigate the tales of a certain Jewish Rabbi who has been rumored to have risen from the dead – Jesus of Nazareth.
Tauro and his manservant Brixos (Dolph Lundgren) head for Jerusalem to find out if the tales are true and question Pontius Pilate (Hristo Shopov). What Tauro doesn’t count on is falling in love (at first sight it would appear) with Tabitha (Monica Cruz), the daughter of Nathan (F. Murray Abraham, getting credited as “with the participation of”).
After meeting several hindrances in his investigations, Tauro’s love is put to the test when her father for proclaiming her love for a Roman beats Tabitha near death.
Since Tabitha is a believer in the teachings of Jesus, Tauro goes in search of his disciples to see if they can heal her as it is rumored Jesus had to power to.
The Final Inquiry is a film that could’ve been something. It’s a remake of a 1986 production that explored the same storyline by the same author (Ennio Flaiano). I can’t comment on that previous production but this one takes that storyline, an interesting one nonetheless, and makes it so poorly that you wished that they would not have tried in the first place.
This Italian production was done on the cheap, but did manage to attract some names but they may have wished that they had stayed away – at least they got a vacation in Italy. In a strange coincidence Flash Gordon co-stars Von Sydow and Ornella Muti (underused as Mary of Magdalene) are both in this picture though they never share a scene. However, this strange bit of movie trivia does not a good movie make.
Does anyone really expect Dolph Lundgren to appear in a biblical epic?
The Final Inquiry is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include a collection of trailers for other Fox DVDs.
The Final Inquiry unfortunately might be the last time that this interesting storyline is dusted off and made into a film. It has potential but was so poorly done with this film that you’ll be sorry that it was resurrected.
The Final Inquiry is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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