The Book of Clarence (2023)- BFI London Film Festival 2023

Review

136min

Genre:       Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama

Director:     Jeymes Samuel

Cast:         LaKeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Omar Sy…and more

Writers:     Jeymes Samuel

-Synopsis-

In Jerusalem of 33 AD an aimless highfalutin hustler sees an opportunity in the rise of Jesus Christ where others see salvation, as he carves out a piece of the worship and adulation pie by shaping himself into a self-made Messiah, only to incur the wrath of the true faithful and the ruling Romans but unexpectedly find his own divine path along the way, in this black-centred alternative gospel commentary on celebrity culture and redemption from the writer/director of ‘The Harder They Fall’.

When writer/director/producer/composer Jeymes Samuel made his bold feature debut by trying to re-invent the Western from an African-American perspective injected with 21^st century energy with 2021’s ‘The Harder They Fall’, only but a few genre purists and some close-minded commentators had loud objections about a new take on the old American west that was actually more anchored in real frontier history than they might have known.

But now the British jack-of-all-trades seems determined to ruffle more than a few feathers by taking on the New Testament and the story of Christ himself, re-directing and re-writing ancient history to create a parallel, black-led gospel and bridge millennia of oppression tales, creating a multi-national African-centred biblical period romp with 21^st century humour and vigour, and with plenty to say about humanity and redemption.

LaKeith Stanfield stars as fast-living local Jerusalem hustler ‘Clarence’, trying to make dishonest a shekel in the ancient holy land underworld alongside his best friend ‘Elijah’ (RJ Cyler) whilst owing money to local crime lord ‘Jedediah the Terrible’ (Eric Kofi-Abrefa) and courting his sister (Anna Diop), as the everyday fellow Jews of Judea struggle under the boot of the ruthless Romans led Pontius Pilate (James McAvoy) and his overzealous soldiers. But when the locals begin to seek salvation in the words of rising preacher and prophet Jesus of Nazareth (Nicholas Pinnock), and his seemingly untouchable disciples like John the Baptist (David Oyelowo) and Judas Iscariot (Micheal Ward), Clarence cynically re-invents himself as a rival Messiah with the help of his friends and the fearsome indestructible Barabbas (Omar Sy), lapping up the affections of the people and their cash only to be confronted by the grim reality of their world and his role in it all—as he’s given a shot at the redemption he never knew he was seeking.

From a high-octane opening chariot chase to a gladiatorial mano-a-mano, plus a niftily choreographed dance number and some slow-motion scuffles, it’s clear that ‘The Book of Clarence’ is a distinctly modern and stylised take on an ancient story, not to mention a highly humorous one featuring the language of an earlier time combined with distinctly modern comedic sensibilities. And as the plot might suggest Samuel is clearly influenced by daring and potentially blasphemous satirical classics like Monty Python’s ‘Life of Brian’ and Mel Brooks’ ‘History of the World: Part I’, as well as historical epics like ‘The Ten Commandments’ and ‘Ben-Hur’, whilst creating his very own distinct atmosphere with an invigorating score from the director himself, combined with a soundtrack of both classic and lesser-known funk, soul and R&B, which somehow seems to fit.

Yet there’s nothing anachronistic about the film’s period setting, expertly recreating Judea of 2000 years ago with masterful costume and production designs, shot in sterling sets and beautiful historical locations both in Jerusalem itself and largely in southern Italy, and all vividly captured by cinematographer and regular Alex Garland collaborator Rob Hardy (Ex Machina, Annihilation).

But what really weaves this potpourri of styles and influences together and makes it Jeymes Samuel’s own film is the social commentary and philosophical humanism which threads through this particular gospel, as the writer/director substitutes the original Jews and Semites with black peoples of several distinct cultures—including African Americans and Europeans as well as Africans and Caribbeans. Deliberately drawing parallels between the oppression of the time and the experiences of black communities in the West, both presently and historically, providing some not-so-subtle commentary on class and race systems, not mention exploitation and police brutality.

The drama and the message are interspersed with the comedy, with the tone often changing at the drop of a hat, sometimes to great effect but at other times not so much, as the film’s quick and sometimes sardonic pace gives way to more sombre introspection and philosophical musings on faith and human nature, before ramping things up again. Meanwhile the comedy itself is generally more hit than miss, blending crafty and quirky humour with sharp dialogue and social commentary—often delivered in classical language but with modern intent—with physical humour and slapstick thrown in the mix, plus some situational comedy too.

The real elephant in the narrative room here is of course religion, and the opining on how Samuel handles Christianity’s central concepts will vary from harmless satire and playfulness to iconoclastic and disrespectful, perhaps even blasphemous. The truth is that unlike Monty Python with ‘Life of Brian’, ‘The Book of Clarence’ never truly pokes fun at the religion and is only ever mildly satirical vis-à-vis the story of Christ, whilst remaining relatively respectful when it comes to the figure and his teachings and ultimately reaffirming faith in God and humanity.

‘The Book of Clarence’ is of course also an ensemble character piece which relies on its largely black multinational cast, with young American and British talents like RJ Cyler and Micheal Ward shining as Clarence’s right-hand man and rival respectively, plus France’s Omar Sy imposing himself as the mighty Barabbas and Anna Diop beguiling both the film’s protagonist and the audience, all while more established stars like David Oyelowo and Alfre Woodard steal many a scene. The villains and antagonists of the piece in the form of the ruthless Romans are meanwhile predictably reserved for the white British and Irish talents on show, with the likes of Tom Vaughan-Lawlor and Tom Glynn-Carney riling up the audience with aplomb, led by James McAvoy as the notorious Pontius Pilate, while Benedict Cumberbatch cuts a familiar figure with a brief but hilarious cameo as an unfortunate local caught up in the messiah wars.

Ultimately this is the LaKeith Stanfield show, and the fortunes of the film rest on the shoulders of its still relatively young yet established titular star, as the versatile and fearless actor pulls double duty as a pair of twins, one a real and pious but holier-than-thou disciple of Christ, the other his brother and the film’s protagonist. As the California star brings his relatable charisma and ability to inject an honest frankness into his roles to help bring to life a scoundrel which the audience can cling to, a jaded and directionless sceptic with potential and a true heart waiting to be unleashed. And it’s all in the service of Samuel’s unorthodox and hardly flawless but still engrossing and thoroughly entertaining pseudo historical epic and alternative gospel, a tale of faith and honour over fear and doubt, and of oppression conquered by emancipation.

The Bottom Line…

A bold alternative gospel and black biblical epic which will ruffle feathers and provoke thought as much as entertain and tickle funny bones, ‘The Book of Clarence’ gathers multiple influences from classic comedy to historical epics and blends them in a cinematic cauldron with socio-political commentary and the black experience in the west, serving up a cinematic stew combining ancient romp with modern vigour—underlining cinema jack-of-all-trades Jeymes Samuel’s unapologetic mission to try and re-invent genre cinema . . . in his own inimitable style.

‘The Book of Clarence’ streams on Netflix from the 12th of January 2024.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

The Harder They Fall (2021)

In the old American west, a vengeful outlaw assembles his rag-tag crew for some payback on his fearsome recently-released enemy and his own gang, in this classic yet modern ensemble tune-charged revenge thriller and African American perspective on the wild west from musician-turned-filmmaker Jeymes Samuel.

Directed by Jeymes Samuel and starring Idris Elba, Regina King and Jonathan Majors among others.

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