the sam(ta clause)’s review published on Letterboxd:
So...
first I'm going to talk about how I feel about the film and then I'm going to talk about how I feel about the controversy surrounding it.
People are severely misinterpreting this film (somebody told me I should lead with that)
THE FILM
So the film's pretty great. I'm not going to lie and say it was perfect, the script leaves a bit to be desired here and there and the direction can be a bit off at times, but where this movie shines strong it shines strong enough to overshadow its rough edges for me.
This is the first film that I've seen starring Jim Caviezel, and, honestly, I need to see more from him. He's a pretty good actor. He really sells me on both his character and his character's mission, bringing passion, emotion, and humor when needed and succeeding in being an incredibly likable and intriguing protagonist. The rest of the cast is pretty decent too, one of the standouts being Bill Camp, who had a particularly spectacular scene about his character's journey.
This film has a good number of impressive shots that I really enjoyed, and many of them had great payoffs. This whole movie has a lot of really amazing payoffs that hit you hard. It left me both impressed and happy as a certified cinematography enjoyer.
I also really loved the writing, and how well it tried to show every angle to every event. There's not much new that I was able to discover that I haven't already learned about trafficking through my own research, but seeing this film try and go into as much detail as possible about how these systems work was really awesome. It almost feels like a less-action-packed Taken, in how it tried to use an exciting story to tell an educational narrative.
And on the topic of action, it was really nice to see how not action-filled this movie was. It didn't try to use anything as a crutch and instead trusted you to be interested in what mattered and I was really thankful for that. Those who decided to title this an "action movie" have no clue what they are talking about. This is at most a drama with a few intense scenes surrounding a character-driven hero's journey.
Just an all-around great movie that I have few complaints about. I decided to rate this one mostly on enjoyment, and I enjoyed it immensely. It wasn't as emotionally hard to watch as I imagined it would be, but it was incredibly satisfying and very heartfelt. I've gone on record saying human traffickers, especially the ones who deal in children, are the people I hate most in the world, and it was great to see a movie that shared that perspective.
THE CONTROVERSY
It's kind of hilarious the amount of effort the press, the critics, and many of the folks on this site are putting into finding any sort of odd specific way to attack this movie, going so far as to bring in topics that do not matter and act as if in any way that was at all the focus or purpose of the story.
The movie's character said that they save children from slavery because ??God?? told them to!?!? IT'S CHRISTIAN PROPAGANDA!
The main character saves children and all that, but he's ???white?!?!?! THIS IS A PRIVILEGED RACIST STORY ABOUT A WHITE SAVIOR.
This movie contains child sex slaves? I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY WOULD ABUSE A SERIOUS TOPIC LIKE THAT
Then there's stuff that wasn't even in the movie. I kid you not, people are saying that this movie is secretly promoting conservatism by heavily implying that only the Mexican cartel and the Democrats buy child sex slaves. I'm sorry, but where on earth does the movie say that? I need a quote or something, not some "I have this feeling" or "a bird told me" or anything that can't be read exactly and objectively. Where does this movie say or do anything other than tell us "don't sell kids for sex", no matter who you are?
Don't sell kids for sex. Doesn't matter if you are Democrat, or Republican, or Christian, or Atheist, or white, or not white, DO NOT SELL KIDS FOR SEX. In what world do you have to be to believe that this movie was saying anything other than that? What sort of number is there on the scale for this level of not understanding the fundamental basics of the simplest message known to man? How can you be so self-centered and pretentious that a movie where the only message is "people who sell kids for sex are wrong" is in any way about YOU and your politics? I'll bet you you wish it was!
This story isn't even about the white evil fascist main character or about how you have to become a Christian cult member in order to be a good person. In the special message during the credits, Jim Caviezel says the true heroes were the kids that told his character about their struggle and tried to save each other and the storytellers who try to promote others like them. And he urged the audience to spread the word and say "God's children are not for sale" in an attempt to spread awareness for one of the biggest issues in the world that still is barely ever MENTIONED in anything. No wonder the media is covering this thing up. No wonder all these critics are trying to find any way to distract from the big message. This is as good of a goal a movie can have. It's too good and kind to be true, and they hate to see it attached to a viewpoint different than theirs.
It gives me hope. I was happy to be in a crowded theater to view this. I was happy to see that it's making some really good money. And I'm happy to see that beyond that it was genuinely very good!
It's not a perfect movie, and it's not going to save the world and end trafficking as a whole, but it's doing what the world is afraid of and it manages to do a really freaking decent job at it. This is by far the most important movie of 2023 and I highly recommend you check it out in theaters or when it comes out on streaming. It's worth it to support it just for the goal it promotes, no matter who you are. This is beyond us.
If being willing to save people while being a white guy means I'm a white savior supremacist, then fine I'm a white savior supremacist. If believing evil exists and that God would want me to guide the lost from it means I'm a propagandic cult fascist, then I'm a propagandic cult fascist. If thinking it's wrong to sell kids into slavery no matter who you are and enjoying a movie that says the same makes me a conservative conspiracist, then I'm a conservative conspiracist. You can call me all the names you want, but child trafficking has to stop, and this movie is one step in trying to stop it and I'm going to support that, no matter what my politics are or what I believe. Because I'm actually trying, as crazy and flawed as I am, to promote what is good and true in the world. I'm not on some keyboard journey trying to make me feel better about myself, I'm trying to make a change that I actually feel is important. It's all I can do.
"This job tears you to pieces. This is my one chance to put those pieces back together."
"I'm the sadness in her eyes. I'm the darkness. And I know... the darkness has to die."
Thanks for reading all that, you're a real one 😘😘😘😘
Edit: I want to make some things clear as well.
1) I'm not defending Tim or Jim as people. I'm defending the film and the work done within it, and the film is pretty dang good.
2) I'm aware that there are some inaccuracies to the portrayal of the actual true story of Tim, but none of the inaccuracies I've seen so far weaken the message or diminish the value of what I saw on the screen, in my opinion. What I've learned from years of film-watching is that everything you watch is fiction. There's never going to be a film that is 100% true to what happened. "Based on a True Story" does not mean "True Story". The only time that an inaccuracy becomes a problem is if it takes away from the message of the film or disrespects the topics portrayed within it, which didn't happen here. Happens in plenty of other films, though.
3) I'm also aware that Tim and Jim have begun using this movie to say some very political things, much like what those against this movie have done. The same goes for many of their fans. I hope I am heard when I say that that is the stupidest thing you could do with a story such as this, and I think it would be best if everyone abandoned that route as quick as possible. It doesn't matter what side you are on, people who abuse a story for a movement that has nothing to do with it have no right to do so. However, this does not take away from the actual story in any way. If people are using a story for the wrong purposes, it does not mean the story is wrong. It means that those people are wrong. I wish that went without saying, but for some it doesn't.
and 4) God's children are not for sale.
Edit #2:
Hi everybody, been a minute. There are a few things I want to discuss. Firstly, I changed the rating of this movie from 5 stars to 4 stars. This isn't because I've lost any respect for this movie or because I enjoy it any less, I just think that 4 better reflects the review I originally left for this film. This was a great experience that wasn't completely perfect but left me incredibly happy.
Secondly, I have begun to get comments on my other reviews trying to combat my opinions on this film. There is a reason I have limited the comments on this review. I'm done talking about it. I feel like I have said enough, and anybody who wants more can go read the one-hundred-something comments or they can get blocked.
And, lastly, as always, God's children are not for sale.
