Mercy Streets

David A.R. White gets to play twins in Mercy Street. On the one hand White is a deacon in the Episcopal church and ready to take his ordination vows in a month or so. The other White is a notorious con man who may be ripping off the wrong people. But his mentor Eric Roberts wants White the conman around for a really big score.

That greatest of conman films The Sting is the inspiration for what these guys have planned. They have it mind to make the mark part with his money the same way Newman and Redford did to Robert Shaw.

Deacon White is having some agonizing doubts about becoming a priest because of something in his childhood where he let his brother down in a crisis. In the mysterious ways of the Creator/Deity he gets a chance to make it up.

The outright preaching is kept to a minimum. White in his two roles and Eric Roberts do fine. This one is more than for church audiences.

Christian film makers still haven't found their niche in today's movie market, and I don't they will for some time. Yet Mercy Streets seems to have succeeded where others have fallen short. Despite a relatively outrageous plot and some hokey acting, the film boasts some fine direction by Gunn, a good cast (Eric Roberts, David White), and an intriguing storyline. It's squeaky clean as far as language, yet it doesn't detract from the script. There's no book somewhere that says that there must be foul language for characters to express angst, hatred, etc. This movie has a lot going for it, and it's a step closer to a piece of great film making. 8 / 10.

Why do people feel that foul language MUST be used to make a movie good. We are so indoctrinated in gutter language now that we feel it is not "real" if a movie does not contain it. How about the STORY, folks? How about the characters? Plot? Timing? Why is it that we can accept the old "classics" that never contained any serious swearing, but we have to dis a newer movie that omits such language? It just shows how low we have sunken as a society. Mercy Streets was a really good movie on every level. A lack of swear words should have nothing to do with how one judges it.

In terms of the acting (it seemed realistic), the pacing (it moved along quickly), the story (it was compelling), and the editing (it was contemporary and well done),the movie worked on all levels. I am very suspicious of people who reject movies because they are "Christian" but accept just passable movies like "Blair Witch". It's funny that movies that deal with occult issues, which are also supernatural, as are Christian themed movies, are somehow OK, but Christian ones are not in the eyes of many people. I think it is actually the message Christian movies put forth that many people do not want to accept and deal with in their own lives that cause them to criticize them.

Just one man's opinion.

This was a good film about two brothers on different sides of the law and walking two different walks of life. One brother (Jeremiah, an aspiring priest) living his suburban life with the curse of a childhood incident in which his brother was assumed dead. The other brother (John) fresh out of jail in working for a top rate con-man Rome who is looking to get another job out of his right hand man. Reluctant to go back to jail, John decides he is going to double cross Rome and through a series of events ends up on the run. He decides to turn to Jeremiah for help. Rome, in hot pursuit, kidnaps Jeremiah thinking he is John during his daily jog. The brothers have to switch roles...John becomes Jeremiah in an attempt to find the money he needs to escape and Rome forces Jeremiah to help him finish the original job in John's place. Confused yet? Sure the plot for this film is quite unbelievable, but do we really go to the movies for reality? This movie, from the same people that brought us the Omega Code (which sucked), has given us a nice caper film with a cool independent feel to it. Production is good and it shows the talent of director John Gunn who makes this unbelievable story seem just the opposite. Using some nice little techniques like freeze framing some shots, he gives us something different from the traditional hollywood outing. Its definitly not overly preachy and all the better because of it, displaying its message smartly. Add a nice soundtrack with songs from Moby and Sixpence None the Richer and some much needed comedy from Rome (Roberts) and his tattoo covered henchman and you have well rounded and enjoyable film. Most reviewers have been hard on this film, and I agree that the acting is not oscar worthy but it serves the film extremely well. The story moves along and mostly importantly keeps our interest until the very end. I have a feeling that if this film had Hollywood big shots behind it, it would be given much more respect then it has. This film is very solid and stands on its own in many aspects. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good film with a story that keeps you interested, but is sick of movies ruined by sex and language that are thrown in to attract a certain demographic. Go see it, you won't regret spending the money, and besides the more we support films like this the better they will get!

Having worked for four years at a place that shows Christian family movies every week, I have seen quite a number of cheesy clunkers in my time. And while "Mercy Streets" is not the best I've ever seen, it is far better than most.

For once, the production quality is on par with the average TV movie, and it doesn't look like it's been shot with a camcorder. As far as the storyline goes, it's engaging, if not entirely original, and it doesn't beat you over the head with the message.

The performances of both Eric Roberts and David White are to be commended, though most of the other cast members could use some improvement. Even so, the acting is quite a few notches above many Christian movies. I've been a fan of David White for a number of years, having seen him in "The End of the Harvest" and "The Moment After". He is one of the few actors in Christian film that actually tries to act, and he usually succeeds. "Mercy Streets" is undoubtedly his strongest performance so far.

In short, "Mercy Streets" is a movie that seeks to provide good entertainment to both Christians and the secular world, while glorifying God. And it succeeds, where "Omega Code" and similar films failed. "Mercy Streets" utilizes decent actors, a good script and good production values to provide an exciting, entertaining and meaningful film, without being preachy or cheesy.