Hello loyal readers, and welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
Sorry for the lengthy absence, I've been working on another entry that's taken a lot of effort and will now be put on the backburner just for a few weeks while I do the new series I'm starting now.
It's that time of year again: Time for the Nightcrawler Experience to partner with St. John's United Methodist Church for their Summer at the Movies series! As before, I came up with a devotional for each movie to be passed out at its screening at the church, and am writing an entry on the Nightcrawler Experience to help examine each film a little deeper.
For this series, each week will be a different Christian film, my first real foray into looking at actual Christian/ faith- based movies on this blog.
When it comes to Christian films, my feelings can be rather mixed.
Some can be good, tackling Scriptural truths in ways that are both inspirational and entertaining.
Others, however, can be bogged down by overly preachy and heavy- handed messages, bad acting, or cheesy writing.
Fortunately, the films we will be looking at for this series all fall into the former of the two groups.
We're kicking it off with a real good one: The 2011 film 'Courageous.'
This film centers around four police officers named Adam, Nathan, Shane, and David. Each in their own way is dealing with an issue involving children and being a father. One has a good relationship with his young daughter yet cannot connect well with his teenage son, another is concerned over his teenage daughter wanting to start dating, and so on. They also befriend a day- laborer named Javier who is struggling to find work and provide for his own wife and young children. Eventually, a tragedy causes the five men to realize they have an obligation to be better and more Godly husbands and fathers. So, Adam crafts a detailed "Resolution" to honor God and his family in every way, and he and his friends all agree to it. This resolution is soon tested in a variety of ways for each of them, and they emerge from the situation stronger in their faith and better prepared to do all they can for their families.
'Courageous' stands out as easily one of the best Christian films I've ever seen. The acting's mostly very good for a film of that quality, it has a nice story, and it has loads of humor too.
Another thing it has in its favor, which is something of a rarity for a Christian film, is its action. In particular, near the end of the film, there is a surprisingly intense shootout/ fight scene between two of the officers and a vicious gang leader (The latter can be seen as pretty much the personification of the kind of threat that the officers realize their children and community need to be protected from) that had me on the edge of my seat. It was fast- paced, intense, and felt realistic from the way it was staged. I remember when I first saw it in theaters, that scene had me thinking something I'd never have thought of before for a Christian film: 'This deserves to get nominated for the MTV Movie Award for Best Fight Scene!'
My favorite character in the film was definitely Javier. He was such a likable guy, really easy to root for. In fact, if this blog was around back then and I was doing my Favorite Movie Characters List for that year, Javier would have been one of the first characters I'd put on it. He's friendly, good- natured, extremely devoted to his family and determined to help meet their needs, and also provides a lot of comic relief to keep the movie from getting too serious.
In particular, there is a scene with him, informally known as the "Snake Kings" scene, which remains the single funniest (Intentionally so) scene I can ever recall seeing in a Christian film. It starts with two of the officers having quite a dilemma, needing to transport a freshly- arrested gang member to the station while Javier was still riding with them in the backseat of their cop car (They were on their way to take him to lunch when they got the call about the gang), but then end up resolving that situation in a way that never fails to leave me shrieking with laughter every time I see it, largely due to Robert Amaya's hysterical performance as Javier in that scene!
'Courageous' also earns points for the fact that, while it showcases the great work that our law enforcement personnel do in protecting our streets and citizens and showing that most of them are good people just doing their jobs, it doesn't shy away from the fact that there is some dishonesty and corruption that may go on behind the scenes in police departments (As there is in most occupations). This is shown through a subplot in which the officers begin to suspect that someone within the department has been stealing drugs from the evidence room, presumably to sell on the streets. Admitting that such things can at times go on within police departments is a hard truth, but one that needs to be addressed, and it's handled in a really good way in the film.
So, yes, if you are a fan of Christian films and in the mood for a film that can help you learn to be a better and more Godly husband, father, and person in general, I wholeheartedly recommend 'Courageous.' It's a fun, inspirational film I'll never get tired of.
Obviously, for a Christian film, there are loads of Scriptural messages that can be taken from 'Courageous.' In the devotional flyer passed out at the screening, I point out its clear message on what it means to be a Godly father. I especially highlighted Ephesians 6:4 stating that fathers need to avoid causing unnecessary strife with their children and instead raise them to better know the Lord, and 1 Timothy 5:8 pointing out that believers need to do whatever they can to provide for their families both in a material sense and in an emotional sense.
That, however, I believe is just scratching the surface. I think another important lesson to be taken from 'Courageous' is on the importance of integrity. Two of the film's major characters are eventually faced with crises relating to being honest and doing what's right, both in a legal sense and in an ethical sense. One of the two, when sorely tempted to break the rules for personal gain, ultimately makes the right decision and is deservedly rewarded for it; The other does not, and needless to say, his story's ending is MUCH less happy because of it. Followers of Jesus are called upon to act with integrity in all that they do, and the Bible frequently points that out, especially in the book of Proverbs. One verse which perfectly sums up that part of the film is Proverbs 11:3, which states that "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity." Also, Proverbs 12:22 states that "The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in people who are trustworthy." Lastly, Psalm 41:12 says that "Because of my integrity You uphold me and set me in Your presence forever." The temptation to bend or break the rules for one's own gain can be pretty strong at times, and a hard test to have to go through, but followers of the Lord are expected to demonstrate honesty and righteousness in what they do, even if there's a price to it.
A final great lesson to be taken from 'Courageous' is relating to salvation, and how it's only achieved through trusting in Jesus, not through any good works we might do. In one scene, Nathan is having a heart- to- heart with David and trying to encourage him to take responsibility for things in his life. The discussion turns to God's judgment of all people, and David implies that he thinks all the good he has done in his life will outweigh the bad he has done and get him to Heaven. Nathan, though, points out that that's not how God works. Nathan shows this by bringing up a hypothetical situation: If David's mother was murdered in a parking lot, and the killer was caught, but tried to plead for mercy in court by saying he did a lot of good in his life, too. "If the judge let him go free," Nathan says, "Would you say he was a good judge or a bad judge?" Nathan uses this to show that God judges and punishes a person for the sins they commit, not for the good they do, and that He sent His Son Jesus to Earth to die for us, to pay the penalty for all our sins. Ephesians 2:8-9 spells it out pretty clearly: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- Not by works, so that no one can boast." Doing good deeds and living a good life are great and all, more power to you for it, but that alone cannot remove the taint that our sins leave on our souls that keeps us out of Heaven. Trusting through faith in what Jesus did, not what we did, is the only way anyone can get to Heaven.
So, that sums up my look at 'Courageous,' a wonderful film about family, integrity, and truly knowing Jesus.
Come back next week when we'll be looking at the next film in the series, it'll be another good one.
That's all for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Take care, and may God bless you all!
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