The Apostle (1997)

This movie was a wretched nightmare.
Sonny (Robert Duvall) is, well, sort of a creep. He's not described as a creep, but rather a celebrated southern pastor, which is also true, but mostly, he's a creep and an asshole.
First of all, he starts the film by trying to pray or convert a young man, trapped in his car after a nasty car accident, rather than getting the paramedics to come down and help the trapped people or help them escape himself. But the weirdest part is that the woman in the car with him is his mother, not his wife, despite the small age gap. Yeah, this film has some major issues.
Instead, he's married to the younger Sister Jessie (Farrah Fawcett) who is separated from him and already with someone else. And his crime of  'passion' is swinging a baseball with Jessie's new boyfriend, knocking him to the ground, and then grabbing his wife by the hair in front of the crowd outside the stadium plus their two young children.
So he goes on the run but somehow gathers the money to open, or rather re-open another church, with his crazy empty promises before finally getting caught and surrendering easily.
While Duvall is great, he is not a character you can admire. He thinks nothing of pinching a woman (Miranda Richardson) on the waist to get her attention and leaves reluctantly after realizing that he wasn't to talk his way into her pants. At least he isn't a racist but rather a sexist and asshole.
The film also has no point to it. He doesn't apologize for his evil deeds but rather tries to escape and continue preaching the word of God while not living it himself. So, needless to say, the film didn't sit well with me at all. Was it rustic and realistic, yes, but that is not enough for me to recommend a film. Grade: C+
Side Notes:
-The only positive note is that this film boosts a diverse cast.
-Sonny needs serious therapy. He quits his diner job when he sees Richardson reconcile with her husband and two young sons.
-Warning, beware of any father who calls his children his beauties.
-Duvall was also too old for the role, though he delivers a great performance, but I found him better in The Great Santini, though I wish he wasn't always an asshole, but a completely different one from who he was in this film.