The problem with over-playing violence in The Passion (which I haven't seen yet, keep that in mind) is that it runs the risk of sending the wrong message to the audience. The gravity of the crucifixion was not in the physical pain. Rather, it is imperative to realize that the torture before Christ's death was symbolic of a more weighty transaction: while hundreds (thousands?) of prisoners died on a Roman cross, only one was truly blameless when he died; and the death of that innocent man broke the cosmic law of karmic reciprocity, making redemption freely available to anybody who chooses it.