In between the stately grandeur of Cecil B. DeMille and the fevered gore of Mel Gibson, Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ is a singularly epic yet deeply personal attempt to explore unanswered questions about the life of Jesus. Adapted from the controversial novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, it follows selected episodes as Christ attempts to spread his message of peace and love while his followers demand liberation from Roman oppression at all costs. Wrestling with spiritual conflict, he finds himself tempted by the rebellious desire to live a normal life with a wife and child as fate closes in.

A long held dream for former altar boy Scorsese, The Last Temptation of Christ earned him his second Best Director nomination and the ire of quite a few Christians— “the most blasphemous ridicule of the Eucharist that's ever been perpetrated in this world” according to one Mother Angelica. It could be seen as scandalous compared with the classic Hollywood biblical epic, but Scorsese's focus on the human aspect of Jesus Christ transcends the violence of his death to reflect on what kind of man he may have been. Dafoe gives arguably his greatest performance (in what must be one of the most intimidating roles of all time) as a human wrestling with his doubts and desires, tormented by destiny but determined to believe in love at all costs.