Audience Member
This is a movie that reminded me that God is bringing everything together for a bigger why. Just need to walk step by step and know there is a why that is blessed his power. It starts with asking forhoveness and to let the love shine. Love the grace card!
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/17/23
Full Review
Audience Member
What a wonderful, timely discussion of race in the church (and outside). The acting is great and the dialogue is honest (though directed towards a Christian audience). The medical aspects are not believable (among other things: why not dialysis? kidney transplants are not emergent), but non-healthcare professionals might not notice. Thankful for the discussion of grace to reconcile people of all walks.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/16/23
Full Review
Audience Member
What a wonderful, timely discussion of race in the church (and outside). The acting is great and the dialogue is honest (though directed towards a Christian audience). The medical aspects are not believable (among other things: why not dialysis? kidney transplants are not emergent), but non-healthcare professionals might not notice. Thankful for the discussion of grace to reconcile people of all walks.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/11/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Personally I did not really enjoy the movie. It had a good intentioned message of grace, but the film missed the mark for me. Mac was blatantly racist throughout the movie (which does not mean he doesn't deserve forgiveness) but the movie failed to show him facing the consequences of his actions (for instance, when he chased the suspect at the beginning of the movie and went berserk, in real life he most likely would've gotten at least a suspension because of that), and learning how to change his ways. The bible tells us we should always be graceful and forgive, but that does not excuse sinners from punishment and a correction of ways, neither of which were shown in Mac's story arch. Secondly, this film really shows the importance of having representation in the writers room, as you can only write from your own perspective, so it is important to have people who can relate to the story and make sure the portrayal of the characters and the storyline is more realistic, and authentic to an actual person of color's experience. This is shown in GLEE. There were lgbtq+ writers on the writing team, and that rendered a good portrayal of gay characters on the show. Meanwhile there were no people of color in the writing room which rendered their storylines related to struggles with racism to be lacking in authenticity. This by no means means that white writers should not write people of color, representation is very important and is needed in both film and television, it just means that writers should consult people with different perspectives and make sure they are creating an accurate portrayal of the perspective of people of color.
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
01/15/23
Full Review
Audience Member
I really enjoyed this movie. It started off slow but it has a great message.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/14/23
Full Review
Audience Member
This is the story of a man, Mac, who becomes angry and bitter after the death of his five year old who is run down in the street by a fleeing criminal. Mac's marriage struggles as a result of his anger and his relationship with his second son, Blake, suffers greatly. Mac joins the police force after the death of his son in an effort to prevent the kind of tragedy he has gone through from happening to others. After seventeen years on the force, he is passed over for a promotion to sergeant by a younger officer who happens to be black. Mac is upset that he was passed over, and he holds a grudge against black men because the man who ran over his son was black.
Things get a little uncomfortable when Mac and the black officer who was promoted ahead of him, Sam, are asked to spend the next two weeks riding together on patrol. Sam is an aspiring pastor who shepherds a start-up church on Sundays and this is another source of tension since Mac has turned his back on God.
As these two men struggle through understanding each other, another tragic accident threatens the life of Mac's second son, Blake. Facing the possibility that Blake may die, Mac has to come to terms with his anger-filled relationship with Blake, with his wife, and with Sam. In the end, it is the black man, Sam, who guides Mac back to the Lord and plays an instrumental role in saving Blake's life.
This story had a powerful impact on me and is filled with difficult issues we should all consider carefully. How we treat our children, and how we treat our spouse, and how we deal with tragedy are all elements that have been addressed before in film; however, the complexity of this story also includes how we deal with our personal prejudice, how we allow our past to influence our present, and how we avoid God. Mac's struggle with his tragic past and with God is well developed and engaging. Sam's struggle with developing his ability to pastor a church while maintaining a job as a police officer is also well told. Overall, there's a lot of depth to this film and for that reason it is well-worth watching. I have to conclude by letting you know the acting in this movie is not as good as it could be. In addition, the dialogue is often not as interesting as it could be. If you can put that aside and simply enjoy this well-rounded and penetrating story, I believe you'll find this to be time well spent.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/18/23
Full Review
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