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Constantine's Sword

At once depressing and exhilarating

By ROB NELSON | May 28, 2008

3.5 Stars

Constantine's Sword

Scarier than Jesus Camp (and infinitely smarter), Oren Jacoby’s documentary film of Boston Globe columnist James Carroll’s 2001 book Constantine’s Sword casts Christianity as a lost ark raided by the worst bullies of history — from the title Roman emperor to both Bush presidents. It’s a film at once depressing and exhilarating — the latter for its mission to weaken anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic violence, and to reverse the US merger of church and state, by illuminating the sources. Carroll, a former priest, leads us on a tour of places where the Gospel has been read as a call to arms — from the US Air Force Academy in Colorado to Auschwitz and Rome. Although the film is necessarily talky even without approximating the detail in Carroll’s book, the vibrant cinematography by Bob Richman (My Architect) — combined with clips from Hollywood classics, religious and otherwise — keeps this philosophical and intellectual exercise visually compelling from moment to moment. 93 minutes | Coolidge Corner

Related: Missing in action, Catholic Tilt, Interview: James Carroll, More

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ARTICLES BY ROB NELSON

CONSTANTINE'S SWORD | May 28, 2008
Scarier than Jesus Camp (and infinitely smarter), Oren Jacoby’s documentary film of Boston Globe columnist James Carroll’s 2001 book Constantine’s Sword casts Christianity as a lost ark raided by the worst bullies of history.

SON OF RAMBOW | May 07, 2008
Funnier than anything in this vaguely dark comedy is the thought of Stallone sitting through it.

MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS | April 16, 2008
Three years after 2046 , Wong Kar-wai is not in love any more — and I for one am happy for him. Perfectionism can be exhausting for all involved.

IRANIAN CHICK | January 10, 2008
At 38, Marjane Satrapi still resembles the kid in Persepolis , her autobiographical graphic-novel-turned-animated-film of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.