Final Inquiry

What would Jesus do if he was forced to watch the biblical era whodunit Final Inquiry? I think the answer can be found in John 11:35: "Jesus wept.” Part historical mystery, part biblical CSI, part spiritual awakening, Final Inquiry is a confusing mish-mash of plots and ideas that, despite an interesting premise, fails miserably on all fronts. In the year 33 A.D., a strange eclipse coincides with the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. Roman Legate Tito Valerio Tauro (Daniele Liotti) and his barbarian slave Brixos (Dolph Lundgren) are dispatched to Jerusalem to investigate the rumours of Jesus’s subsequent resurrection and supposed divinity. Tauro soon becomes entangled in the politics and religious intrigue of the holy city while developing a forbidden love with a young Jewish girl. In order to satisfy his quest and his personal questions of faith, Tauro must get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding the followers of Jesus. Despite the obvious historical and biblical inaccuracies of the story, the most glaring issues viewers will have to overcome are the serious technical shortcomings of the film — the most obvious being the distractingly bad ADR (Additional Dialogue Recording). Actors are often required to re-record their dialogue in a studio after filming. Skilled audio technicians then seamlessly insert the re-recorded dialogue into the film. Final Inquiry’s inserted dialogue is so poorly matched that it resembles a horribly dubbed ’70s kung-fu film, though it is actually an English language production. If you can steel yourself against the horrendous sound editing, you will still have to contend with the inconsistent, incoherent plot, terrible acting, poor direction and a questioning of your faith in the art of filmmaking. The intriguing concept of a fictional Roman investigation of Jesus’s holy status is wasted in this film and the story’s lack of narrative focus is enough to potentially offend both Christians and Atheists alike. Christians, biblical scholars, history buffs and secret Dolph Lundgren fans will all be terribly disappointed in this Final Inquiry. Avoid this film like a plague of locusts during the Inquisition.