The Mission

"One will trust in the power of prayer. One will believe in the might of the sword."

1986 2h 5m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

🍅

63%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

7.4

IMDB

★7.4TMDB · 1,610🍅63%Rotten Tomatoes●55Metacritic★7.4IMDB · 70,499

AdventureDramaActionHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When a Spanish Jesuit goes into the South American wilderness to build a mission in the hope of converting the Indians of the region, a slave hunter is converted and joins his mission. When Spain sells the colony to Portugal, they are forced to defend all they have built against the Portuguese aggressors.

“One will trust in the power of prayer. One will believe in the might of the sword.”

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Cast

Robert De Niro
Rodrigo Mendoza
Jeremy Irons
Father Gabriel
Ray McAnally
Cardinal Altamirano
Aidan Quinn
Felipe Mendoza
Liam Neeson
Father John Fielding
Cherie Lunghi
Carlotta
Ronald Pickup
Hontar
Chuck Low
Don Cabeza

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Roland Joffé
Writers: Robert Bolt, Robert Bolt
Languages: English, Guarani, Latin, Spanish
Countries: United Kingdom, France, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 70% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

40 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Guarani, Latin, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: United Kingdom, France, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Roland Joffé, shot by Chris Menges. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ennio Morricone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jim Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons and Ray McAnally carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Roland Joffé directs. Chris Menges behind the camera. Ennio Morricone scores. Jim Clark cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United Kingdom, France, United States of America. Dialogue in English, Guarani, Latin, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 70% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
240 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Guarani, Latin, Spanish.
4International production across 3 countries: United Kingdom, France, United States of America.
5Directed by Roland Joffé, shot by Chris Menges. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Ennio Morricone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Jim Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons and Ray McAnally carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "One will trust in the power of prayer. One will believe in the might of the sword.".
10IMDB entry: tt0091530 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 18 themes, including "mission", "resistance", "christianity", "religious conversion".