Explore the religious imagery in The Mission and Cool Hand Luke. Who are the Christ figures in each film? What aspects of Jesus are emphasized in each film? What other aspects of Christianity are creatively imagined on screen? Religious imagery in cinema is a recurring theme across genres and eras. Many filmmakers draw on the ancient stories that endure in religion, partly because of the resonance among large groups of religious followers and partly because of the strong connection to themes of the nature of humanity. The Mission and Cool Hand Luke are two films with particularly strong images that evoke stories of Christ and the Christian Bible. Screenwriters incorporate these stories to add depth to the protagonists, and directors visualize religious imagery to add depth to the shots. Various examples of religious imagery and depictions of Christ can be found in these two films, and this article will share and analyze these examples. The Mission is set in 1750 in what is now the nation of Brazil. The setting is divided between the city where Portuguese, Spanish and Vatican emissaries hold court and the remote mission run by the Jesuit Order. The film is set in the aftermath of the 1750 Treaty of Madrid which redrawn the borders of the territories held by Spain and Portugal. The Treaty was brokered by the Catholic Church and the papal emissary in the film is the Church's representative in bi-national disputes. The violence depicted at the end of the film is part of the Guarani War of 1756 in which seven Jesuit missions resisted the invading Portuguese army. The religious imagery begins with the opening scenes of The Mission. As Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons) realizes his... middle of paper... his heart plays well in films that deal with redemption, salvation and forgiveness. In The Mission, Rodrigo seeks forgiveness after killing his brother and Fr. Gabriel is there to offer him the chance to find it. In Cool Hand Luke, Luke is forced to atone for his actions by going to prison where he finds other flawed men paying their debt to society, and this gives Luke a chance to ease the suffering and carry some of the burden for his similar. men. The image of Christ as a compassionate redeemer is one that fits well with these stories. It also fits well with audiences whose thoughts on sin and punishment are enhanced by the tangible depiction of God's forgiveness through the people around us. We seek our salvation and forgiveness in movies, and Father Gabriel and Lucas Jackson each bring us a little closer to finding what we're looking for.