Godspeed

Charlie Shepard is a modern day faith healer. Living hand to mouth with his young son and wife Rebecca, Charlie ekes out a meager living from his ministry in a small Alaskan town. His marriage is failing and an old drinking habit has come back to haunt him and that makes things even worse in his life. Then, just when you thought it couldn't get much worse, Shepard's family is brutally murdered for what seems to be no reason at all.

Six months later, Charlie has abandoned his former life and the house his family lived in. Now he moves through his days' slow existence more like a ghost than a man.

"A Movie In Search of Redemption" Godspeed is probably best described as a movie in search of redemption. Not only do we follow a storyline of redemption in the movie, but at times Godspeed drops in some inappropriate moments that just don't fit with the overall flow. As a result, the scriptwriters seem to be searching for some sort of redemption of their own. While it's easy to forgive an independent film for poor acting, I have a low tolerance for an independent film that feels the need to trash up language and a scene or two, just for the sake of tossing in a string of "f-bombs" or unneeded sex scenes. As a result I say "shame" on the writers of Godspeed for the inclusion of the out-of-place "f-bombs" and the whole bedroom "sexual assault" scene.

They simply were not needed and added nothing to an otherwise brilliant script!

"A Captivating Storyline & Great Film Scenery" This brings me to the storyline and script. Godspeed is a fascinating look at life in the face of grief and what can be a very cruel world. There were even some surprises and plot twists tossed in along the way too! Without spoiling the movie, I must admit I was on the totally wrong track as to whom I thought the killer was until well into the movie! While I said a "shame on you" to the writers for trashing up portions of the movie, I have to applaud Cory Knauf and Robert Saitzyk for throwing an incredible curve ball in this whodunit.

When you can make me say - "Wow! I didn't see that one coming!" - You've made a huge accomplishment.

Godspeed won the Exceptional Artistic Achievement Award in the 2009 CineVegas Film Festival. The award is well deserved. In a Hollywood landscape of computer generated graphics, I must say I was very impressed with the real life filming of the Alaskan landscape. While I initially thought some of the scenery shots were tossed in as padding, I quickly discovered how the beautiful scenery serves as a stark contrast of beauty vs. tragedy in the overall feel of the movie.

Last, but certainly not least, lets talk acting in Godspeed.

While Joseph McKelheer plays an admirable Charlie Shepard, Courtney Halverson who narrates and plays the character of Sarah Roberts really shines and steals every scene she's in. She's a stellar actress and one I hope to see on the big screen in a big way in the future. While it's somewhat of a bit part, it was also nice to see Ed Lauter of The Longest Yard and Seabiscuit fame playing the role of a Fish and Game officer.

All in all, I did enjoy the creativity, suspense, storyline and great scenery shots found in Godspeed.

That's not to say Godspeed should be ignored as an independent movie. Aside from what I've described above as the good points, I also really liked the bracket effect of setting the movie up, and then ending the movie with a flashback to the earlier scene.

Cautiously enjoy the show! Dr. Rus

This is an amazing film, hard to believe this is not a big budget picture. What little the story lacks is well made up for in other areas. The production quality and outstanding cinematography alone are enough to enjoy the movie, as absolutely beautiful images flow throughout the picture. I can't wait to see it on the big screen. The professionalism of the experience is even more embellished by the veteran performance by Joe McKelheer. Joe's acting ability is truly underrated and deserves note here. He manages to pull you in to the storyline by being such a believable and relatable character. Truly a top notch production. Watch and enjoy.

Godspeed is obviously a film about redemption, but holds more for the audience in being a genuinely good movie about life, faith, and coping from the perspective of all the characters and not just the lead. Everyone has their own story in this, their own past. The storyline is one that engages you as you want to find out more about these characters whose lives you've entered in media res. The characters are endearing in that none are black/white, but have shades of both. No one is completely good or bad in this film, which succeeds in making the hero more relatable and the bad guy even creepier in that while you might not agree with his decisions, you can see where he's coming from.

Godspeed has the "indie" feel to it that brings an intimacy between film and audience. Its gritty-ness makes you live the story rather than watch from an elevated, third-party position, and is complimented by beautiful Alaskan scenery that brings a calm, isolated feel that magnifies the tension between the characters.

The premise of this film was more than adequate. The actors were adequate.

The body of writing was not. At all.

He stands there, his back faced to her. She runs a monologue about how jealous she was of his wife. Not only is the whole long-monologue-to-a- person's-back thing REALLY teenage-soap-opera corny, but every single one of her lines in the speech was forced. It sounded like she was reading a script, not saying it from her heart - and it wasn't the fault of the actress. I was actually impressed by her delivery, because the lines were just really, really bad.

And it's like that throughout every important part of this film.

When the brother is preaching to his communion of teenagers? YIKES. Just wow.

Screenwriter needs to go back to the drawing board with how he writes dialogue. He sucks. Bad.

Everything else about this film was alright. Actually, everything else was way above average for a small-budget film.

4/10

Godspeed is a true independent film, Robert and the rest of the cast have done a fantastic job making a beautiful piece of art. Not only did the cinematography take my breath away, but also each character showed true. While the subject matter does make one uncomfortable at times, it shows a problem that is ignored in society and is one that should be addressed. I would also like to give a huge compliment to Cory, Robert, and Joe on their character development, as an audience member I felt true compassion for each character. This movie is one that I am very excited about adding to my collection and being able to enjoy more of these filmmakers and actors work. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys films that make you think days afterward. However I would not recommend this to children and younger teens based upon subject matter.