No God, No Master

Well, were to start and what to say, eh? Although only a "user" of IMDb for a measly 2 years I have noticed that many remark on the high marks of certain movies, i.e. No God, No Master and Time Lapse. Furthermore, for my part, I have also seen quite a few movies with odd marks, both overrated and underrated.

Sure, movie companies may very well pay persons to write favorable reviews. Some, however, may seem to write bad reviews just for spite towards those over-favorable reviews. Neither type of review is any good.

Movie companies I understand, it is, after all, all about the money. But, for crying out loud, write a fair review if you take the time to write one.

Plot: set in the 1920s, an honest officer investigates bombings seemingly connected to the political atmosphere during that period.

5,9 (8th June 2015) seem high. However, it is not as bad as 1/10, neither as good as 9/10. An average 5/10 is more fitting.

Period movies are always interesting, no less so for a historian like me, and always a break from futuristic and contemporary movies.

Now, this movie has way too many subplots and characters for its own good. what is worse, none of them has depth, the makers fails to make the viewer root for the hero or feel disgust for the villain. Mainly because there is no real hero or villain. To me this movie feels like a dramatized documentary like Captain Cook: Obsession and Discovery (2007).

Hardened actors like Strathairn and Wise try their best, but seem constrained by budget, less good actors and poor writing.

The action scenes are very poor at best, especially the man to man fighting scenes.

Anti- or pro-Russia propaganda? In my view you may consider both. however, I choose to go for the middle way and root for justice by honest methods.

I may seem to crash down on this movie totally, so why 5 out of 10? Well, regardless of genre, I have seen much much worse than this. And it is not all that bad. The setting is believable, i.e. costumes, location- and studio shots. The main plot IS interesting although not fully explored nor masterfully executed.

I give it 5 out of 10 because it is a decent attempt to make period movie. it is not the first choice for a Friday night, but it will pass the time, truly a made-for-TV kind of film

"Without blood shed there is no progress. Anarchy now, anarchy forever." During the summer of 1919 a series of bombs begin to show up in New York. The targets are prominent politicians and businessmen and the man investigating is William Flynn (Strathairn), an agent with the U.S. Bureau of Investigation. What he uncovers is an anarchy group bent on destroying the government. Wvweything is going great and he is on the trail of the ones in charge, then the F.B.I. shows up to help. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this going in, in fact I knew so little about it that I didn't even know it was based on a true story. When I found that out I became more interested and 5 minutes in to the movie I was sucked in. This movie captivated me and had me yelling at the TV in some spots. It's very interesting to see how events that happened 100 years ago are almost identical to what is happening today, have we learned nothing? The movie will suck you in and anger you all at once. That is the sign of a great movie. I don't want to say too much about it but if you thought J.Edgar Hoover was bad once he got power wait till you see him before. Overall, one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. If you liked the Untouchables you will love this. I easily give this an A.

The start of the movie is crisp and taut, and lays out a tragic crime and some capable characters to solve it. Unfortunately the film quickly loses its way, snarking into class warfare, and derailing completely into the fever swamps of apologetics for Anarchism. The latter comes complete with drippy lines from Bakunin (although nothing of his hatred of "blood sucking" Jews).

After all too much of this, the plot tension over the dramatic opening crime is squandered, replaced by obvious preachy vignettes designed to push the concept that the 'real' villains here are the thuggish cops and the rich. They have to put in yet another crime to recapture any sense of purpose after the class warfare lecture. Unfortunately, this little pick up is immediately metamorphosed into another political lecture, complete with printed jabs at J Edgar Hoover.

In summary: Unsatisfying and trite.

I'm not going to research who was behind the making of this movie but it appears to me they are showing that people like Rockefeller, Morgan, Carnegie, and their ilk, along with one of the craziest, most corrupt man in our history, ol J. Edgar himself, were perpetrators of the biggest mass theft and suppression in the history of the world. Thank goodness this movie is speaking up for the have nots. And, this was also the beginning of the police being the protectorate of the "good" white folk vs. those "immigrants.", or darker skinned folks. Which side are you on. That prob depends on whether you like this movie or not.

So Many Historical Headlines to Cover, so Little Time, and so Little Money to make the Movie. The Story of Palmer's Raids, the Attorney General's Attempt in 1919 to Mass Deport Thousands of Immigrants before such a Thing was made Illegal, is a Story that is just too Enormous to Tell in Ninety Minutes.

Add to that the Backstory of Fat Cat Indifference and down right Worker Oppression is Given some Screen Time but again is Light on Detail and Heavy of Speechifying.

But if this Little Movie can do Anything it can Draw Attention to a somewhat Forgotten Time and Place in America's Early Twentieth Century History and might Propel Folks to do some Research.

The Subject matter and the Situation has Not Lost any of its Relevance and can be Seen as a Mirror to Things that matter just as Much Today. It is an Engrossing Story and is Played Well enough to Entertain as well as Enlighten.

This was a Time when Workers were Definitely Exploited and Sought Collective Bargaining. It Must Also be Said that the Workers were Being Exploited from All Sides and there was Blood on Everybody's Hands.

Worth a Watch for its Historical Relevance and as a Primer for more Investigation into the Struggles of the Time and a Sordid Situation that can Never be Forgotten, Lest We Repeat. Oh, Wait, We Have. So that makes this Movie even more Important.