Paul Schrader’s adaptation of a novel by Elmore Leonard, Touch (1997), is something of an unsung entry in the filmmaker’s oeuvre. Touch is both darkly comic and politically relevant, even some twenty-five years later. Touch, though scathing in its indictment of organized religion, remains Schrader’s lightest film in dramatic tone and image which is why it has, in previous years, been singled out as a minor work by the critics.
The fictitious right-wing religious group “Outrage” is among some of the most prescient and damning comedy in any Schrader picture. This group, led by the Tom Arnold character, represents the fundamentalist movement in American Christianity. And like those conservative organizations, “Outrage” is not above using physical force and violence to communicate their point.
On the other end of the spectrum is the Christopher Walken character who uses the media to promote his causes and generate revenue. This is American evangelism in all its commercial glory run amok. Book rights and television appearances are the bread and butter of this aspect of American Christianity.
At the center of this maelstrom is Skeet Ulrich the former Franciscan monk turned stigmatist who has the power to heal with his touch. Ulrich represents Christian faith at its most philosophically pure. Ulrich is childlike in his beliefs and total naivety. He is manipulated time and again by fundamentalists, evangelists and Catholics as each bids for the most notoriety.
Touch looks at how all these institutions work together and against each other for control the Christian right. Touch is as funny as it is disturbing because of how authentically American and relevant Schrader’s film ultimately is. As the plot of Touch progresses the further it moves away from any spiritual truth. For Schrader the real world complexity and moral bankruptcy of the Christian ethos in America is antithetical to faith. Touch is Schrader’s Capra-esque film and it is a nightmare.
