Judas

The made-for-television film JUDAS takes the novel approach of retelling the story of Christ's Passion through the viewpoint of his betrayer, Judas Iscariot (Johnathon Schaech). Depicted as a would-be revolutionary bent on freeing the Hebrews from Roman occupation, Judas believes he's found a political ally in the form of an emerging young prophet named Jesus of Nazareth (Jonathan Scarfe). But after joining Jesus' band of followers, Judas becomes increasingly frustrated by his new friend's rejection of violent rebellion in favor of pacifist spirituality and eventually betrays him to the Roman authorities and their sadistic viceroy Pontius Pilate (Tim Matheson). A daring psychological exploration of one the most reviled figures in religious history, this TV movie is the first to gauge Judas Iscariot as a real and complex human being struggling with his own spiritual and moral conflicts.