Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
In sixth-century Mecca, Prophet Muhammad receives his first revelation from God as a messenger. Three years later, he's not alone in his quest and publicly declares his prophecy. Muhammad is fought by Abu Sufian and his wife Hind, rulers of Mecca. Muhammad's followers are hunted and tortured but he continues his calling.
The Message is a genuinely singular epic in world cinema — a sweeping, reverent dramatization of the founding of Islam that navigates the extraordinary challenge of depicting the Prophet Muhammad without ever showing or voicing him directly, a remarkable formal constraint that shapes the entire film. This religious-historical epic had virtually no precedent in Western or Arab cinema and remains one of the most distinctive faith-based historical films ever made. The plot is earnest but sprawling, at times losing dramatic momentum across its lengthy runtime as it serves more as chronicle than tightly constructed narrative. Acting from Anthony Quinn and others is solid if occasionally theatrical, fitting the epic register. Cinematography is handsome and competent in capturing desert landscapes but rarely transcends the conventions of the period's historical epic style. The ending, while emotionally fitting in intent, arrives after significant narrative fatigue and feels more ceremonial than dramatically earned.