Nathan Hayes moved his family from Atlanta to the quiet town of Albany. Before starting work as a sheriff deputy, he gets carjacked. He forces the thief to crash the car and saves his baby. Adam Mitchell is the veteran deputy and struggling to connect with his son. The sheriff tells the squad that fatherhood is the key. Boys without fathers are more likely to join gangs, get involved in crimes, and commit suicide. Javier Martinez is an unemployed construction worker struggling to feed his family. These and other men are struggling with the power, the responsibility, and the meaning of fatherhood in this faith-based movie.
There is a lot of stereotypes and a lot of heavy-handed messaging. I don't mind it if it's done well but this is mostly amateur hour. The actors are amateurs for the most part. They are basically extras getting a chance at lines. The most powerful work comes from Ken Bevel who is probably the least experienced of the lot. He only has two credits on his page. These are not actors ready to cross over to the mainstream. There is one great scene in this movie. It's the Javier misunderstanding. It's funny. It has great comedic timing. That scene has a nugget of brilliance which could be the source of a compelling movie about fatherhood and faith. This should be a story about Adam and Javier. Write a good story. Get real actors. When you do that, a faith-based movie becomes just a good movie. The message goes to a wider audience.
Courageous
2011
Action / Drama / Fantasy
Courageous
2011
Action / Drama / Fantasy
Plot summary
Four men, one calling: To serve and protect. As law enforcement officers, they face danger every day. Yet when tragedy strikes close to home, these fathers are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, and their faith. From this struggle will come a decision that changes all of their lives. With action, drama, and humor, the fourth film from Sherwood Pictures embraces God's promise to "turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers." Souls will be stirred, and hearts will be challenged to be ... courageous!
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Javier
Courageous is a compelling drama addressing issues and challenges of faith
This is the second movie this year I've seen that frequently mentions God in addressing issues of faith, the first being The Grace Card. This one concerns four cops and one laborer being tested on their beliefs. At least one of them has an addiction and another is challenged before a possible promotion. And one more has a family tragedy. But, for the most part, they managed to survive and become even stronger from their decisions. Quite inspirational and occasionally funny too. And, yes, there are some heroic action scenes as well to keep things exciting. Really, I wasn't initially sure I'd really like this one especially when I was able to predict some scenes and lines but, overall, I highly recommend this to anyone who likes a good drama with a fine lesson.
Cheap movie about policemen who do believe in a deity
I made the mistake of watching this movie a few years ago, and I felt I had to write this review to state that even this may be a flattering film for Christian people, but as a feature film, this is a bad one.
The filmmaking is shameful, made by a guy who seems to only have seen bad films. The story may be interesting, but the shots, the acting, the music, the editing... Everything is cheap in this film. Maybe the director was too busy directing himself instead of being in his spot watching the monitors. Definitely not a multi-task dude.
I must say I laughed a lot when the main character "dances" with(out) his daughter. It's not just a campy, tacky thing that you would do alone by yourself when no one's watching and make sure to not show it to the world - It's also they way it is actually shot.
Do yourself a favour and avoid this film. If you believe in a deity, go to the church instead and do your share of good deeds. If you like watching good films, watch others, there are a bunch of them, believe me.
I reckon the effort, but they should have got a higher budget to hire a better director, a better cast and a better crew.
I only recommend this movie if you want to know how a bad film looks like, whether it's Christian-themed or not. Nobody is going to remember this film after a few years.