With the amount of attention, ratings, and d*mn near sell out crowds this film is garnering from almost every showing here at my local cinema I must say I expected something far more powerful and moving than this.
For starters, I'll say this film featured a good cast. Everyone involved gave good performances, including the child actors. As for Jim Caviezel, I think he's a far better actor than what he was given here. The subject is obviously very important to him and he gave a good performance but the material was just weak.
However, what holds up this average film is the cinematography, good performances, and a good score. But that's all there really is here.
The film lacks depth in story, character, and emotion. Now, admittedly, the first act does hold some emotion, but the film does very little to nothing else to keep the emotion going. It's all very surface and doesn't develop further in anyway. The story and characters are underdeveloped and at certain moments the "hard hitting" emotion came off as emotional manipulation or a reminder of "this stuff is bad" like I get it child sex trafficking is bad but do something else. The only amount of engagement or care I could give was just to the fact that this was based on a true story.
That's definitely where the film lost points for me. You have a subject matter that literally everyone can get behind, so nobody needs convincing that this is wrong. You're literally just preaching to the choir, so instead focus on making a good film.
Finally, this films rating puzzles me. Before going in, I was anticipating an R rated film based on the subject matter and audience reactions. I thought if this film is as powerful as people are claiming it to be, then R rated for sure. But it's PG13. Why? For a movie that claims to want to unveil the horrible ugly truth of child sex trafficking it pulls a lot of punches and lacked any significant impact. So I don't know what is trying to be accomplished here. If it's a faith-based film, then it's an extremely dull faith-based film, historical drama? Definitely needed more drama, action/thriller? Well, it had neither. The subject is powerful, yes, but this film has no bite and packs, no punch, and nothing new is being done here.
This film has clearly struck a chord with a lot movie goers which rightfully so the subject matter is an important one but at the end of the film I couldn't help but wonder that maybe it would've been better to take the $14.5 million that was spent to make this movie and maybe just donate it to organizations that fight this war.
Overall, I just found this film to be tremendously underwhelming and lacking. It definitely didn't help when Jim Caviezel gave a special message to the audience during the credits like what we just saw was the most heart breaking, tear jerking, emotional wrenching film since The Passion of the Christ.
Nonetheless, I can appreciate the effort and what they were trying to do here, shedding light on a very important and what I imagine to be sensitive subject. But just because the subject matter is strong doesn't mean the film is.
IMDb: 5/10 Letterboxd: 3/5
Watched in Theaters.
For starters, I'll say this film featured a good cast. Everyone involved gave good performances, including the child actors. As for Jim Caviezel, I think he's a far better actor than what he was given here. The subject is obviously very important to him and he gave a good performance but the material was just weak.
However, what holds up this average film is the cinematography, good performances, and a good score. But that's all there really is here.
The film lacks depth in story, character, and emotion. Now, admittedly, the first act does hold some emotion, but the film does very little to nothing else to keep the emotion going. It's all very surface and doesn't develop further in anyway. The story and characters are underdeveloped and at certain moments the "hard hitting" emotion came off as emotional manipulation or a reminder of "this stuff is bad" like I get it child sex trafficking is bad but do something else. The only amount of engagement or care I could give was just to the fact that this was based on a true story.
That's definitely where the film lost points for me. You have a subject matter that literally everyone can get behind, so nobody needs convincing that this is wrong. You're literally just preaching to the choir, so instead focus on making a good film.
Finally, this films rating puzzles me. Before going in, I was anticipating an R rated film based on the subject matter and audience reactions. I thought if this film is as powerful as people are claiming it to be, then R rated for sure. But it's PG13. Why? For a movie that claims to want to unveil the horrible ugly truth of child sex trafficking it pulls a lot of punches and lacked any significant impact. So I don't know what is trying to be accomplished here. If it's a faith-based film, then it's an extremely dull faith-based film, historical drama? Definitely needed more drama, action/thriller? Well, it had neither. The subject is powerful, yes, but this film has no bite and packs, no punch, and nothing new is being done here.
This film has clearly struck a chord with a lot movie goers which rightfully so the subject matter is an important one but at the end of the film I couldn't help but wonder that maybe it would've been better to take the $14.5 million that was spent to make this movie and maybe just donate it to organizations that fight this war.
Overall, I just found this film to be tremendously underwhelming and lacking. It definitely didn't help when Jim Caviezel gave a special message to the audience during the credits like what we just saw was the most heart breaking, tear jerking, emotional wrenching film since The Passion of the Christ.
Nonetheless, I can appreciate the effort and what they were trying to do here, shedding light on a very important and what I imagine to be sensitive subject. But just because the subject matter is strong doesn't mean the film is.
IMDb: 5/10 Letterboxd: 3/5
Watched in Theaters.