Courageous
my rating: 4 out of 5Courageous is a passionate, melodramatic, and heartfelt Christian drama from writer/director Alex Kendrick. This is the same team that made Fireproof and Facing the Giants.
Courageous tells us the story of a group of police officers who fight gang members by day and try to lead their families by night. Their badges say "Albany", but everyone had a southern accent. It took a minute to realize that they are in Albany, Georgia (NOT Albany, New York!) Adam Mitchell (played by Alex Kendrick) decides to take his fathering commitments one step further. He drafts a contract, of sorts, that he wants to sign in front of his buddies, family, and God. It is a contract that lists a series of promises of how he will be a faithful father and husband. His co-officers are so moved and convicted that they, too, decide to sign the contract.
THE BAD:
Courageous has some ridiculous and awkward moments. Some of the scenes seem to be an awkward wrestling match with the dialouge, while other scenes linger a bit too long in the syrupy over-the-top melodrama. At the end of the day, Courageous is a church sermon. This is the weakness of the movie, but it also provides the sheer potency. I cried more than once. There are scenes that are constructed to blatantly manipulate your heartstrings. But, most of them work.
There is a Hispanic character and a few African-American "gang member" characters that are strange stereotypes, on the brink of being insulting. The Hispanic character is looking for work to provide for his family, and ultimately befriends the group of police officers. Some of the gang members turn from their crooked ways.
The movie feels a bit long, and the script seems abrupt and clunky in parts, like a 1 hour television episode that has another 1 hour television episode interwoven into it to strech it out longer.
THE GOOD:
This movie is a wonderful example of the evolution of modern Christan evangelism. Even though it is blatanlty hitting you over the head with the message, that is the point of the movie. It has some genuinely suspenseful and action-packed scenes that drive the movie forward. There were a couple of comedy devices that had me laughing out loud. There is absolutely no profanity. The ultimate message of this movie is uplifting, hopeful, and positive. It is a movie that is trying to make sense of modern society in a realistic way. The message of fatherhood and Christian integrity are powerful. Some of the performances are genuinely good, like officer Nathan Hayes played by Ken Bevel. And all the children in the movie seem to be particularly good actors.
It was incredibly refreshing to see such an ambitious and positive movie light up the screen. I hope to see more wholesome, interesting Christian movies in the near future. This one seems to be an improvement in overall quality from Facing the Giants and Fireproof. Hopefully, they will continue to get better and better.
CONCLUSION:
Courageous reminded me very much of the movie Crash, the 2005 piece of garbage from writer/director Paul Haggis. However, Crash was a negative, offensive, and self-important failure that presumed to preach to me about racism. The racism is thrown in your face in the most offensive and inappropriate way the filmmakers could muster.
In contrast, Courageous is a good-hearted, positive movie with a message that strikes a chord in our society. It is much more emotional and heartwrenching than Crash.
Back in the olden days, Christian evangelists would travel from small town to small town and hold revivals. They would drive flashy cars and wear flashy suits in order to draw crowds and attract attention. Those days are obviously over, and crowds have grown accustomed to modern media. As methods of communication have evolved, so has the method of spreading the Christian message. Courageous has its faults. But, it is an incredible example of modern day Christian evangelism. It will reach many more people than a tent revival ever did. I strongly recommend that you watch it and form your own opinion of it. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Courageous tells us the story of a group of police officers who fight gang members by day and try to lead their families by night. Their badges say "Albany", but everyone had a southern accent. It took a minute to realize that they are in Albany, Georgia (NOT Albany, New York!) Adam Mitchell (played by Alex Kendrick) decides to take his fathering commitments one step further. He drafts a contract, of sorts, that he wants to sign in front of his buddies, family, and God. It is a contract that lists a series of promises of how he will be a faithful father and husband. His co-officers are so moved and convicted that they, too, decide to sign the contract.
THE BAD:
Courageous has some ridiculous and awkward moments. Some of the scenes seem to be an awkward wrestling match with the dialouge, while other scenes linger a bit too long in the syrupy over-the-top melodrama. At the end of the day, Courageous is a church sermon. This is the weakness of the movie, but it also provides the sheer potency. I cried more than once. There are scenes that are constructed to blatantly manipulate your heartstrings. But, most of them work.
There is a Hispanic character and a few African-American "gang member" characters that are strange stereotypes, on the brink of being insulting. The Hispanic character is looking for work to provide for his family, and ultimately befriends the group of police officers. Some of the gang members turn from their crooked ways.
The movie feels a bit long, and the script seems abrupt and clunky in parts, like a 1 hour television episode that has another 1 hour television episode interwoven into it to strech it out longer.
THE GOOD:
This movie is a wonderful example of the evolution of modern Christan evangelism. Even though it is blatanlty hitting you over the head with the message, that is the point of the movie. It has some genuinely suspenseful and action-packed scenes that drive the movie forward. There were a couple of comedy devices that had me laughing out loud. There is absolutely no profanity. The ultimate message of this movie is uplifting, hopeful, and positive. It is a movie that is trying to make sense of modern society in a realistic way. The message of fatherhood and Christian integrity are powerful. Some of the performances are genuinely good, like officer Nathan Hayes played by Ken Bevel. And all the children in the movie seem to be particularly good actors.
It was incredibly refreshing to see such an ambitious and positive movie light up the screen. I hope to see more wholesome, interesting Christian movies in the near future. This one seems to be an improvement in overall quality from Facing the Giants and Fireproof. Hopefully, they will continue to get better and better.
CONCLUSION:
Courageous reminded me very much of the movie Crash, the 2005 piece of garbage from writer/director Paul Haggis. However, Crash was a negative, offensive, and self-important failure that presumed to preach to me about racism. The racism is thrown in your face in the most offensive and inappropriate way the filmmakers could muster.
In contrast, Courageous is a good-hearted, positive movie with a message that strikes a chord in our society. It is much more emotional and heartwrenching than Crash.
Back in the olden days, Christian evangelists would travel from small town to small town and hold revivals. They would drive flashy cars and wear flashy suits in order to draw crowds and attract attention. Those days are obviously over, and crowds have grown accustomed to modern media. As methods of communication have evolved, so has the method of spreading the Christian message. Courageous has its faults. But, it is an incredible example of modern day Christian evangelism. It will reach many more people than a tent revival ever did. I strongly recommend that you watch it and form your own opinion of it. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Hey Evan, We are going to see this tonight. Dan's fiance's grandfather has a small part at the end of the movie - something about saying a prayer. Not sure how significant or insignificant the role is - will know after tonight. They live in Albany and are members of Sherwood Baptist Church. Thanks for your review! Carol
ReplyDeleteGood movie overall. I would agree that it is an improvement over the last two movies made. Funny and meaningful. Although, like you said it felt to scripted at parts.
ReplyDeleteCourageous is definitely a tear jerker; when you know what's coming it makes it difficult to sit still.. but, to a believer, even when you expect there will be bad you know you can look forward to better things to come, that good will come out of it. I seriously recommend this show to all men who are, or may be, fathers and women can take the same kind of oath to stand strong in their relationship with God and their husband and take seriously the role of being a parent.
ReplyDeleteI think that your review is excellent. I too loved the movie for providing a message in a refreshing way for this generation. I believe that movies are a great way to reach out to the masses, and I look forward to seeing this ministry continue to grow.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the movie had some very comical parts, as well as some emotional parts. Like you, I think that perhaps some additional editing may help improve the flow of the movie. I also agree about the steriotypes in the movie. I am a social worker, so I am very sensitive to those types of things. The movie makers REALLY need to make sure that they evaluate the characters for potential offensive steriotyping in the future.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie. Thanks for the review!
One of the best movies Ive seen yet. Tired of movies that use violence, sex, drugs, anger, and language to express the mood of the movie....There were parts that dragged out but the overall message is understood. So, in a nation where fathers are more absent then present in their childs lives, it was much needed and hopefully has an impact on the young men today. Christina, Ocala, fl
ReplyDeleteThis movie was everything - funny, action-packed, exciting, inspiring. Excellent story and acting. It had me laughing and even crying. A must see for parents, but I'm glad I didn't bring my young kids. If you are Christian, it will inspire you, but if not it will still inspire you as a parent or family member as long as you are willing to respect that there are Christians in the story expressing how it effects their life. If this bothers you, please know that many Christians as myself respect other religions and don't miss out.
ReplyDelete