Joe Crist

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

These are not the words of Joe Crist, the notorious titular bounty hunter, born again to blow the brains out of the bad men terrorizing the town belonging to his best friends, but mirrors the spiritual sentiment of this satirical, semi-religious romp. Framing the story as an homage to all things Sergio Leone, director Mark Allen Michaels entertains the wild energy of a Western, while stripping the genre of its contemplative seriousness in substitution for something super silly.

Fully stocked with Wilhelm screams, whip style camerawork, and cartoonish sound effects to amplify the absurdity, it becomes quickly apparent that JOE CRIST intends to play as parody instead of a straight drama or stereotypical faith based movie. The opening scene makes good and sure that everyone is on the same page that this isn't gonna get played during Bible School study.

The film's religious context is on the forefront of Joe Crist's self righteous journey, but the digital blood bath painting the town red doesn't let the audience forget that violence is the real answer, even if Joe Crist may be the second coming of Christ in lightening wielding form. Because of the outright goofiness up front, it's hard to dial the tone back down, making the movie's less refined qualities more noticeable in its quieter moments - but the brisk runtime allows plenty of room for hootin n hollerin hilarity that makes still it worth a watch. The tangible chemistry of the cast feels like the folks involved had a blast bringing this film to fruition, as some scenes act almost like extended SNL sketches. Perfect to put on at a party packed with lots of booze for some guaranteed good times.

The power of Joe Crist clearly compelled them, will it do the same for you?

You've never seen a western like "Joe Christ". Seriously. This film is NUTS. And ya really gotta hand it to the film makers for making a film that puts multiple genres in a blender and turning it into a film that entertains, has LOL moments of parody, and tries to reinvent old cliches. And it does it all in under an hour! And for lovers of bloody shoot-'em-ups, the body count is HIGH. Apparently Mr. Christ, as an agent of a higher power, possesses some super human traits that allow him to create miracles. Sprinkled throughout are Biblical references too. So here is the absolute bestestest summary I can offer: if you crave a film that is truly different, combining genres like westerns, horror flicks, action/gun play, faith-based films, fantasy, and parody, you've landed EXACTLY in the film you need!

Written and directed by Mark Allen Michaels, Joe Crist is a wild Western! I love how this movie starts and gets right to the point! It packs a punch into its short runtime. The cinematic style is wonderful; I love how the color of the film, as well as the music, characters, and setting, all pay homage to the Western film genre. The special effects are great too! The sound design and music are top notch. The music, especially, really adds to the Western and pulls you into the movie's world. There truly is something for everyone in this movie: mystery, love, action, crime, and even bits of comedy.

What a romp of a short/ long film! I loved this film which actually had me laughing out loud, especially at the great acted side kick character played by Curt Lambert. It's not in the same league as Blazing Saddles and the film only occasionally lost its galloping rhythm but the 53 minutes spun by faster than a quick draw. The level of western parody even extends to the credits where I had to stop and re-read them (example 'Bridge Financing supplied by "We smell blood in the water LLC").

The acting is fairly solid for an indie movie and given the parody script and genre, any wooden dialogue delivery seems to fit well with the intended humour. As a solid Christian I wasn't offended by any parallels with Jesus (apart from the obvious vengeance theme - but hey, it's a movie!!) and the film neatly pulls together a western gunslinger saviour character just as easily as a Clint Eastwood flick.

Definitely worth the watch! Oh....nice hat!

Joe Crist is a western film about a bounty hunter who after being almost killed wakes up from a coma to find out he has a higher purpose.

This film is well produced and has some funny moments I wasn't expecting making it the film entertaining. This was a fun watch with moments that shows the filmmakers didn't take themselves too seriously. The film was well cast, Joe Crist played by Dallas Valdez does a really good job being mysterious and humorous at the same time and his friend Del played by Curt Lambert his love interest Maggie played by Carrie Keagan are all on the same page and really play off each other nicely. The whole cast was well acted and each player brought something to the project.

This is a shorter feature and goes by pretty quick with under an hour of length and since it's uplifting it puts you in a good mood. Not a bad idea how to spend your time.