A nice religious film based on the records of Ignatius of Loyola himself who was born in Loyola 1491 and died in Rome 1556 . As he was the founder of Jesuit Order or Compañia of Jesús, and deemed to be one of the men most important in the XVI Century . A biopic movie and at the same time concerning historical facts, such as War for Pamplona region against the French enemy , including impressive and epic battles . At the beginning it deals with Ignatius as a warrior , as he fights against the French Army , there he is seriously injured and when he is on bed healing his wounds and the very brink of death , Ignatius reads Saints lives , especially St Franciscus . As he receives divine inspiration, and later on , he becomes into a preacher . As he goes to Monserrat where is inspired by Virgen Maria . After that , he goes Manresa as a beggar , and where goes on preaching , while living at a cave .

This self-biographic movie describes Ignatius of Loyola's fundamental and essential role in history as a soldier , a sinner and a Saint . Detailing his brave defense at the battle of Pamplona , fencing alongside the walls to impede the French Army go into the town . Being competently played by Andreas Muñoz as Ignatius , Julio Periñan and Javier Godino, among others . Resulting to be a historical fresco showing Ignatius of Loyola as a Warrior , as a Founder of the Jesuit Order and as a Saint . It contains colorful and evocative cinematograhy , as well as rousing musical score . The motion picture was well directed by Paolo Dy in budget enough .

Alrightly based on historical events about this great Spanish figure . As Ignatius was both , a military and a religious man . Founder of the Compañia e Jesús or Jesuit Order , he emerged as a really brooding and spiritual person during the famous Contrareform or anti-Protestant Reform. At París, Iñigo and his companions founded the Jesuit Order in 1540 . Sworn to go whereever the Holy Father commands , the Jesuits shaped history at the vanguard of the Church. Ignatius of Loyola , Creator of the Jesuit Order , being its First General , formed just over 1000 members , outstanding the following ones : Francisco de Borja , Francisco Javier , Diego Lainez , and founding a lot of schools and religious places . He wrote the Spiritual Exercices that caused an enormous influence as a tool to discernment , getting religiosity and divine faith . Ultimately , Ignatius Loyola was canonized.as Saint in 1622.

This is a Jesuit production on the life of their founder Ignatius of Loyola. As the son of a wealthy family, and after reading the Lives of the Saints, the young Ignatius decided to follow in the footsteps of S.t Francis of Assisi and travel from town to town as a beggar after giving away all of his possessions. The film is well made with good actors and depending on your particular religious background (I am a lapsed Catholic),your appreciation for this movie will vary from wonderment to disbelief. I am somewhere in between.

This movie gets a star for the acting which was good , a bit screamy, but nevertheless unable to surmount the terrible costuming, hair, lighting, effects, drawn out plot and over the top pace of this mess. If you are Catholic and know a bit about San Ignacio's life you might enjoy the film despite the flaws as someone mentioned. If you know nothing about the saint's life and are curious, it might kindle your curiosity. But if you are looking for a well paced, well lit, well made period movie, this isn't it. The battle of Pamplona has some of the most ill-designed and badly executed battle scenes I've seen in a long time. Costuming is awful, so is hair and make up. But lighting wins the award for its flatness and lack of charm. A film that does not consistently rely on images to tell a story is a failure. Couldn't they at least have covered the -clearly- modern windows in Loyola's castle for this production with some banners? Did Ignacio's hair always remain the exact same length throughout his life? did Inquisitors really wear polyester? Was it always sunny everywhere? Beyond these obvious disasters which one might overlook because of budget concerns, there's the issue of pace and plot. I would rescue the scene with the reformed Igancio and the prostitute as an example of good acting and nuance. But the battle with the devil on top of the cliff is drawn-out, annoyingly theatrical and ultimately boring in its video game grandeur.

The movie chooses to focus on the beginnings of the Ignatian adventure when our hero prepares to sacrifice all for honor in war and to prove to himself that he is worthy of his name. We assume this was an important feature of being a nobleman. The French render Ignacio a cripple but he is lucky to escape alive. He endures excruciating pain by undergoing "surgery" a a time when penicillin and anesthesia were not yet invented. Pain and boredom throw him into a new quest for glory, the glory of God against its enemies -in this case the Protestant Reformation apparently. He gives away his wealth, sets off on a pilgrimage, becomes a beggar and practices self-torture in a cave until he rises as a "new man" after defeating the devil... as one does. Basically, he defeats the desire to throw himself of a cliff, an experience I could relate to, but here explained away in the easier to understand "battle against the Devil". Humans have to find somebody to blame when things go wrong. A very mild mannered Inquisition then starts objecting to all of Ignacio's good or weird deeds -as they should- and the rest history.

The worst part of the movie is that is is a poor vehicle for some worthy material. It tries to be many things , adventure, love story, drama and propaganda but it fails by its own reach. May be someone needs to go into the cave again.