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Community reviews
From TMDb members · 1 total- Wuchak8/10
_**Character study of a flawed preacher**_ "The Apostle" (1997) is a film that I've appreciated more as I've matured. Writer/director Robert Duvall had to make it independently because studios wouldn’t touch the material. The story's a character study of a Southern Pentecostal…
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The Apostle
“The hardest soul to save was his own.”
63%
Movie
2h 14m
AI Analysis
The Apostle (1997) — AI movie analysis
WatchMind AI generated this AI analysis of The Apostle (1997) — a movie tagged as Drama with balanced tone moods and slow-burn pacing.
Story & themes: After his happy life spins out of control, a preacher from Texas changes his name, goes to Louisiana and starts preaching on the radio. Our models also surface themes such as identity, conflict, and relationships from synopsis and genre signals.
Watch context: Best suited for solo focused viewing. Expect slow-burn storytelling (~134 min).
Community signal: TMDb members rate The Apostle 63% (157 votes) — solid community ratings for this movie.
AI verdict
Use this AI analysis as a quick read on The Apostle before you watch — trailer, TMDb reviews, and licensed streaming links on this page help you decide.
Algorithmic AI analysis from genres, synopsis, pacing heuristics, and TMDb community scores — not a generative chatbot. How WatchMind works.
Insights
Audience & engagement
How WatchMind visitors interact with this title — views, saves, sentiment, and taste match when you're signed in, or a device preview while browsing. Aggregates are anonymous; last 30 days.
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TMDb audience score
63%
from 157 TMDb votes
WatchMind sentiment
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- 0
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Views trend (14 days)
Daily title page views on WatchMind
Synopsis
After his happy life spins out of control, a preacher from Texas changes his name, goes to Louisiana and starts preaching on the radio.
Quick facts
- Type
- Movie
- Status
- Released
- Release date
- 1997-12-19
- Runtime
- 2h 14m
- TMDB rating
- 6.3
- TMDB ID
- 2895
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Frequently asked questions
Where can I watch The Apostle (1997)?
The Apostle is available for discovery on WatchMind. You can find official links to rent, buy, or stream from licensed digital stores like Apple TV and Amazon in our "Where to Watch" section.
Is there an official trailer for The Apostle?
Yes, you can watch the official trailer for The Apostle directly on this page. We pull the latest video metadata from TMDb and play it via YouTube integration.
What is The Apostle about?
After his happy life spins out of control, a preacher from Texas changes his name, goes to Louisiana and starts preaching on the radio.
Is there an AI analysis for The Apostle?
Yes. WatchMind publishes an AI analysis on this page — tone, pacing, audience fit, and community scores from TMDb metadata and recommendation models (not a chatbot). Scroll to the AI Analysis section or read the meta description summary.
How long is the movie The Apostle?
The official runtime for The Apostle is approximately 134 minutes.
Cast & crew
Names and photos from The Movie Database (TMDb). Follow links on themoviedb.org for full filmographies.
Directors & writers
Cast
Robert Duvall
Euliss Dewey
Farrah Fawcett
Jessie Dewey
Miranda Richardson
Toosie
John Beasley
Brother Blackwell
Walton Goggins
Sam
Billy Bob Thornton
Troublemaker
June Carter Cash
Mrs. Dewey Sr.
Billy Joe Shaver
Joe
Rick Dial
Elmo
Todd Allen
Horace
- W
William Atlas Cole
Bayou Man
Kevin Rankin
Young Man in Car
Renée Victor
Latin Translator
Hunter Hayes
Child Accordionist
Terence Rosemore
Man Saying Amen
- M
Mary Lynette Braxton
Mother Blackwell
Stuart Greer
Texas State Trooper
- D
Daniel Hickman
Flashback Preacher
Audience notes
Quick tips, watch-order ideas, and “worth it?” takes from other WatchMind visitors — not from TMDb. Reply to continue a thread, tap Helpful to surface useful notes, and keep things kind — no spoilers in the first line when you can help it.
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Community reviews
Written by TMDb members — same catalogue as our movie & TV metadata. API terms
_**Character study of a flawed preacher**_ "The Apostle" (1997) is a film that I've appreciated more as I've matured. Writer/director Robert Duvall had to make it independently because studios wouldn’t touch the material. The story's a character study of a Southern Pentecostal preacher, Sonny (Duvall), whose wife wants to leave him (Farrah Fawcett) and more. Sonny reacts foolishly and is forced into exile to the backwaters of Louisiana. Wherever Sonny goes, he can't seem to part with his "calling" and "anointing" – to lead people to the LORD and motivate believers. If you can't handle Pentecostalism and all that goes with it – lively praise & worship, charismatic gifts, evangelism and prayer – I suggest staying far away from "The Apostle." I also suggest you stay away if you're not into seeing depictions of Southern poverty or nigh-poverty since large portions of the film take place in this environment. Duvall's idea was to do a modern take on the King David tragedy: A man of God who falls into adultery and, then, worse. Even so, Duvall stated in a 2010 interview that Sonny's sins aren't half as bad as David's since there are big differences between their transgressions. "The Apostle" is the best kind of character study because it evokes strong opinions and interesting discussions. Is Sonny a genuine but seriously flawed minister or just a phony who doesn't know it? Put another way, can a Christian be a "man (or woman) after God's own heart" and still commit serious sins? Does Sonny legitimately repent or does he evade repentance? Is the theology presented in the film shallow or heavy? Is resorting to righteous anger or corporeal punishment sometimes appropriate for the New Testament believer or should Christians always be lovey-dovey doormats? There's nothing like "The Apostle" in cinema. It's a unique and moving drama that gets better with repeat viewings because a lot of what is conveyed is subtle and wordless. There's just the right amount of ambiguity that keeps the viewer guessing and the movie open to interpretation. The film runs 2 hours, 14 minutes, and was shot in Collin County & Denton County, Texas (both just north of Dallas) and Lafayette, Louisiana. GRADE: A-
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