The Apostle(1997)

Through his charismatic style of preaching and his tireless work in promoting his new church (particularly over the town’s radio station, KBBR, where he hosts a weekly radio broadcast), Sonny (Robert Duvall) – known to the people of Bayou Boutte, Louisiana as “The Apostle E.F.” (the initials being the first letters of his first and middle name) – sees his congregation grow and grow until, eventually, he finds himself preaching to a full house at every service. He also nurtures a romantic connection with Toosie (Miranda Richardson), the receptionist at KBBR who is presently separated from her husband. However, over the course of a few calls he makes at different phone booths to his friend, Joe (Billy Joe Shaver), back in Fort Worth, Texas, he finds out that his mother (June Carter Cash) has passed away from a kidney ailment, and he sadly knows that he will not be able to attend her funeral because the police are still trying to find him and arrest him for hitting Horace (Todd Allen) in the head with a softball bat and rendering him comatose (which he did in a drunken fit of emotion because his wife, Jessie [Farrah Fawcett], was having an affair with him). What’s worse, he later finds out that Horace ended up dying from his injuries, so he is now wanted for murder.

One day, while Sonny is working his second job as a cook at the local diner, he looks out into the dining area and spots Toosie sitting at one of the tables with her two sons as well as her husband, having apparently reconciled with him. Upset, Sonny quits his job on the spot and severs his ties with Toosie. That night, Sonny meets with Reverend Blackwell (John Beasley) at his church and tells him everything about who he really is and why he came to Bayou Boutte, and he remarks to Blackwell that being here may be the best thing that he has ever done in his life thus far. He asks Blackwell what he thinks he should do, and Blackwell replies that he should do whatever he wants to do because the people of this town love him and he has helped many of them. He then tells Blackwell that, when and if the authorities come and get him, he wants him to take his watch and jewelry, hock them, and give every penny of that money towards the church in order to keep it alive.

A day or two after confessing his true identity to Blackwell, Sonny is shown doing another one of his broadcasts on KBBR selling some items that were made by members of his congregation. At the same time back in Fort Worth, Jessie is in her kitchen listening to the radio while making food for her and her children. Suddenly, Sonny’s broadcast starts to interfere with the station that Jessie is listening to, and she overhears the DJ addressing Sonny as “The Apostle E.F.” Curious, she tunes the dial to get a clear transmission of the broadcast, and after she hears about the Apostle E.F. and how the broadcast is coming from Bayou Boutte, she immediately figures out that E.F. is Sonny and that he is hiding there. She thus immediately telephones the Louisiana State Police for Bayou Boutte, Homicide Division.

While Sonny is holding a nighttime service at his church, a Louisiana state trooper appears at the front doors intending to arrest him. Knowing and accepting that he has been caught, Sonny tells the trooper that he will be right with him after the service, and the trooper decides to stay put and let him finish up. Later on, more fully-armed state troopers show up, but they, too, opt to stay outside and wait for Sonny to come out. As the service nears its end, a tearful Sonny tells everyone that he has to leave now, and though he may never see any of them again, he loves them all. He then hugs Blackwell, Sam (Walton Goggins) (the first friend he made in Bayou Boutte), and a few members of the congregation as he heads for the doors, and upon reaching the state trooper, he is placed under arrest. As he is being read his rights, he takes off his watch and jewelry, and after he puts the items on the hood of the police cruiser that he gets taken to, he notices that Sam has come out to see what is happening to him. He tells Sam that his jewelry is for the church and that he must take it to Reverend Blackwell, and Sam tearfully agrees to do as he says. After Sam collects the items, Sonny is put in the back of the cruiser and taken away.

As the credits roll, we find out that Sonny was tried, convicted and sentenced to prison when we see him as a member of a chain gang working on the side of a highway, and the movie ends with him preaching to his fellow inmates while he works with them.