Persecuted

Persecuted

Rated PG-13 and Released in Grand Rapids 7/18/14

Reviewed 7/19/14 at Celebration North Theatre

with Brandon

2 out of 5 Js in QUIET Rating System

With a 2 J rating, it may seem that I am not a fan of this film, which is not quite the case. I liked it enough; it just seemed to be very made-for-TV quality. The faith based films of late - Heaven is for Real, God's not Dead and Son of God - have raised the bar so the expectation has been elevated.

John Luther (James Remar) is a big name sincere TV evangelist and while he reaches millions of viewers, his following has piqued the interest of some powerful people. When Luther doesn't play ball with devious Senator Harrison (Bruce Davison) to help get a religious bill passed, he is duly warned of the consequences. Never imagining the extent some crooked leaders will go to, John is the target of some very grave allegations that cause him to go on the lamb and dig for the truth himself. On the run with authorities at every turn looking for him, he seeks out his father who is also a Catholic priest, Dr. Charles Luther. Dr. Luther is superbly played by Fred Thompson so he really adds some quality to the cast.

Very disturbing is the persecution by the government, media and even those close to him that leave John Luther in some pretty dire circumstances. The final showdown unfortunately reminds me of a bad soap opera with the silly acting and outcome. With that being said, it is worthy of a cheapie theatre visit or for home viewing when it's released. Let's hope the attributes of faith based or Christian films picks back up a bit as we want more of these movies made.

QUIET Rating system: 2  Js

Quality: Jj

Understood story:  JJ

Interest: JJj

Entertainment:  JJ

Time:  JJJj