It’s difficult to make compelling cinema out of saintliness. That’s why so many Biblical biopics from the contemporary Christian-movie industry land with a thunk. Faith-based films are often literal hagiographies, and it’s boring to watch one-dimensional piety stay static over two hours. As the Old Testament attests, even angels cut loose sometimes: An entire third of those winged servants rebelled against God to become demons.
The apostle Paul’s story is one of extremes, from his origins as a fearsome persecutor of Christians to a miracle-induced 180-degree turn that transformed him into an influential leader of the people he once tortured and killed.