Persecuted

I attended a free showing tonight at a friend's church. I already had low expectations for this film, but even those were too high, apparently. This film is more than Right Wing Propaganda. This is a film so forced, it leaves any rational person scratching their heads. The whole film reads like an aborted subplot from the Left Behind series (and I admit I have read all 12 of the core series, even though I thought those seemed forced at times). None of the characters in this are at all relatable except to Christians who believe they are being persecuted by "The Liberal Media" in the United States.

Just perusing the cast list, however, it should be obvious to anyone this is steeped in Hard Right bias (Fred Dalton Thompson and Gretchen Carlson are listed among the cast).

If you want a film about people fleeing from persecution, watch Rambo. If you want a Right Wing film, I'd suggest Atlas Shrugged. But if you want a movie that is horribly plotted, horribly acted, and makes zero sense, this is the movie for you.

It's hard to see such a great bashing of this movie and calling it unrealistic. I don't know if people are blind or if they choose only to see what they want. It is more than obvious that conservatives are being persecuted in the good old U.S. of A and the group that fits that mold more than any are Christians. It's not a wild theory it's just a fact. Christians are being tied in with terrorists by the government. This is supported by several public documents. This would not seem far-fetched if you would research and find the stories of things that have happened in this country against Christians and other conservative groups and not years ago but right here now on our soil. The fact is the majority want to shut us up because we do not go along with the moral decline in this country. We're considered hate-mongers, close-minded, stupid and a danger to the "freedom" of this country. Right now it's a story here and there that gets put low on the list of the media. Soon and very soon this persecution will become front page not to condemn it but to celebrate it. This movie is dead on point. The average American has no idea what's really going on in this country and what is already happening not even to mention what is capable from some people in power. Sure right now Christians are the easiest target so we're playing the guinea pigs while others are shouting bring it on but just you wait. It's just a matter of time until your freedoms are violated by the "elite" no matter what your background. This film needed to be made and I'm afraid one day we'll look back and see things all to familiar going on right before our eyes. Hollywood prophecies on a daily basis through movies and this is no different. I praise the team for taking such a daring step forward knowing that the persecution was going to come. It's just an indication you're moving in the right direction. Job well done.

I hate to bad mouth this movie because somewhere underneath the stupidity and paranoia lies a meaningful cautionary tale and an interesting premise. Still, this thing is so bad and so nonsensical that it defeats its own purpose.

It's just all levels of terrible no matter what the intent or how earnestly they try to present the perils of a big soulless government. The title and a few lines of the film imply Christian prosecution but that subject matter is basically ignored in favor of a crazed anti-government storyline. I can't even call it a plot line because there is no coherent plot or character development.

On a side note, all I could think of watching Bruce Davison was that "Senator Kelly" has taken his mutant hating propaganda to the next level.

I came thoroughly prepared to trash Persecuted and I was not disappointed. This film which is being hawked as the fundamentalist world view or at least American view is like watching this country through Alice's Looking Glass.

In the not too distant future an ambitious Senator played by Bruce Davison has it in mind to create something called an all faiths bill where folks from a different faiths will be required to recognize each other's diversity and not say anything bad about each other.

Standing in the way of things is leading evangelical James Remar who insists on the biblical promise that Jesus is THE only way to God's forgiveness. When Davison tries to get him on board Remar who comes off in this like a poor man's Harrison Ford gives a resounding 'no'. After that he's framed for murder and he's running like Richard Kimble, but he fights back as best he can.

As if we haven't had enough religious figures in scandal. Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker, Bishop Eddie Long to name a few. I sincerely doubt anyone would have to frame someone. But he's set up beautifully with a young teenage girl who later winds up dead and there's video to prove it. Not to mention all the priests who've been caught playing slap and tickle with altar boys.

If there's anything wrong with this old world today it's too many people insisting their religion is the only way. I'm sure there are similar passages in all religious scripture saying their's is the only true faith.

Interesting also that Persecuted came out at a time when five Catholic men ruled that a fundamentalist employer called Hobby Lobby has a religious exemption female employees can't get contraception. We've also seen the state of Mississippi pass a law codifying that businesses with owners who have sincere religious beliefs about gays doesn't have to deal with them. An anti-gay rights legal firewall before any gay rights laws are passed.

Of course Christians are indeed Persecuted in many places on the globe, most notably in Sudan. But the slaughter of non-Moslems in that country is somehow the equivalent of some employer wanting to not deal with openly gay people or heaven forfend the idea of LGBTQ people having some kind of rights including marriage.

But there will be an audience out there for Persecuted who think this is the wave of the future.

Well boys and girls you're just going to have to get used to the idea that everyone who thinks as you do are not the only ones who have some rights on this old world.

Persecuted is one arrogant movie in its concept and execution.

This one's gonna compete with "God's Not Dead" and "America: Imagine the World Without Her" for a Razzie in the God 'n Country Division.

I'm amused how the lead character is described as "The last obstacle to sweeping religious reform in America...". In other words, a theocracy in which everybody's a Christian. How could there be anything else in This Great Christian Nation?

All you really need to know about this film is (1) Glenn Beck was a silent financial backer, according to Christy Lemire of rogerebert.com; and (2) respected character actors like Bruce Davison and James Remar must have been hungry and broke with winter coming on to take these roles.

This storyline, in capable hands, could have made for a really good movie. This ain't it, not by a long shot, though the "Duck Dynasty" crowd will love it.

At least I'll give it this: "Persecuted" had more laughs than "Sex Tape": One.