The film is a reimagining of the 1955 novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, The Last Temptation of Christ. The stark graphic of the poster showing a crown of thorns against a blood-red background lets the viewer know this is no ordinary Christ film. The poster is for the Australian as indicated by the “M” rating of the Australian Classification Board rather than the “R” rating the film received from the Motion Picture Association of America.

Scorcese makes departures not just from the Gospels but from the conventions of the Hollywood Jesus film. The result was that the film brought Protestants and Catholics together in condemnation of what they saw as a blasphemous depiction of the life of Christ.