Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ has become one of the most successful films ever made. The movie, which graphically depicts1 the agony2 Jesus suffered just before his crucifixion,3 grossed US$270.7 million within three weeks of its release. For the sake of authenticity,4 its dialog is entirely in Aramaic and Latin, the languages of Jesus' time.
Controversy,5 however, surrounds The Passion. Some people feel that it could ignite6 anti-Semitic violence because it portrays Jews as being partly responsible for Jesus' death. Nonetheless, the movie has prompted a worldwide wave of crime confessions.7 Numerous robbers, burglars, and murderers have given themselves up, claiming the movie inspired them to come clean.