Revelation Road: The Beginning of the End

This is a film that many people seem to be putting down in a big way.....personally i really don't know why!! From start to finish it keeps you thinking, it twists and turns, the story constantly adding intrigue and wonder. Yes, okay, there are Christian overtones, but why is that deemed as bad?? Are we saying that films with Christian overtones are bad? The acting is fine,Ray Wise puts in his usual fine performance....on the other side of the fence from his previous role in "Reaper"! I initially found myself comparing this to Stephen King's "The Stand", i don't know why as it's quite different and deserves it's own space Like any movie, like any story, we all have our opinions, and we are all entitled to make up our own minds. I say to everyone, do just that....make up your own mind. Apparently there's going to be a part 2....i'm looking forward to it

Altogether though I would not recommend this movie for anyone who is not part of the Abrahamic faiths, because the feel good message only applies to them and without that it is a bit on the dreary side (no one in the film seems very happy about anything). If you are of the Christian persuasion what Constantine again

This is one of those films that if it was not a ridiculous proselytising for Christian dogma, would be a fairly typical so bad its good B movie. There is a almost coherent story line, the actors are of the fairly competent TV actor type, and the action dialogue and cinematography were not so bad that I could not watch it to the end. Some times the preaching was a bit much, though I imagine it was more for believers benefit than anyone else. I see there is a Revelation Road 2, which makes sense as this film does not really have a natural end to it without a sequel.

This is a movie that I am happy in recommending to others. Stylewise, start out with a generous helping of "The Road Warrior", then add a large spoonful or two of Tarantino (sans-vulgarities), and top it all off with a slather of "The Encounter", and there you have it in a nutshell, the overall feel of this flick. The production is top notch, and is supported by a familiar cast of talented actors in a storyline that is set against the end-times... a by now, all too familiar setting for Biblically based films, however this movie works hard to bring a fresh approach to the topic as it generally avoids many of the ubiquitous clichés that seem to be a staple in films of this genre...in fact, by mixing things up and keeping the audience guessing, it even succeeds on many levels in actually NOT being a typical genre flick. I thoroughly enjoyed this, the first installment in the series, and eagerly look forward to the next one to follow, "REVELATION ROAD 2: THE SEA OF GLASS AND FIRE"!

RELEASED IN 2013 and directed by Gabriel Sabloff, "Revelation Road: The Beginning of the End" stars David A.R. White as a traveling salesman in the deserts of the Southwest with a dark past, who just wants to get home to his wife (Jen Lilley) and daughter. But his plans are disturbed by a crazy outlaw biker gang and a wise gun store owner (Ray Wise), his granddaughter (Noell Coet) and wife (Eliza Roberts), not to mention the foreboding lightning and tremors. Brian Bosworth plays the head thug while Eric Roberts appears as the sheriff. The striking Andrea Logan White is also on hand as one of the gang members.

This film and its immediate sequel, "Revelation Road 2: The Sea of Glass and Fire," were shot back-to-back and released four months apart in 2013. "Revelation Road: The Black Rider" (2014) completes the trilogy. I have yet to see the two sequels, but the fact that this movie is the beginning of a trilogy should be kept in mind in appraising it. In other words, it's a foundation for a greater work and not a stand-alone film.

If you're familiar with Christian productions from the new millennium, like "Left Behind: The Movie" (2000), "Deceived" (2002), "Fireproof" (2008), "Cutback" (2010), "I Am" (2010), "Abel's Field" (2012), "Do You Believe?" (2015), "War Room" (2015) and "God is Not Dead 2" (2016), this film is cut from a different cloth (of course, you could say the same for "Deceived" and "I Am").

Imagine if Tarantino made an oddball evangelical flick on a low-budget; that's what this movie's like. The outlaw bikers are depicted better than in most of those dubious biker flicks from the late 60s and early 70s while the action is so over-the-top it's almost cartoony, but not really if you consider the Las Vegas massacre and similar insane public bloodbaths. There's a meandering, almost unfocused vibe to the proceedings, which can be defended on the grounds that it reflects the meaningless of life. Regardless, the limited-budget filmmaking is competent enough and the actors are stalwart and convincing.

There's a killer ultra-heavy cut on the soundtrack that appears during the prologue and later in the movie, as well as a great modern rock song during the end credits. There's also a couple of moving mellow songs by Serena Matthews, one during the final credits (after the rock song).

THE FILM RUNS 88 minutes and was shot in the deserts of the American Southwest (I can't find info on the exact locations). WRITERS: Sean Paul Murphy & Sabloff.

GRADE: B-/C+ (5.5/10)

A mild-mannered traveling salesman by the name of "Josh McManus" (David A.R. White) is driving through a barren stretch of road in West Texas when he stops at a convenience store to try to make a sale. All of a sudden three members of a sizable biker gang called "the Barbarians" come in and decide to rob it. After obtaining the money from the owner "Frank" (Ray Wise) they decide to kill him, Josh and the only other person in the store named "Beth" (Noel Coett). It's then that we discover that there is more to Josh than meets the eye as he quickly kills all three bikers within about 20 seconds. Naturally, this infuriates the leader of the biker gang named "Hawg" (Brian Bosworth) who swears vengeance upon all three of them. At the same time however there are strange weather patterns and minor earthquakes happening as all of this is taking place. Anyway, rather than detailing what happens next I will just say that this was an interesting Christian movie which essentially lays the foundation for future sequels. As such it leans more towards character development than most movies of this type. However, it does have quite a bit of action which is somewhat surprising for most movies in this genre. In summation, this was a decent Christian apocalypse film and I rate it as slightly above average.