Godspeed Movie Review
Robert Saitzyk’s “Godspeed” really wants to be more than an efficient dramatic thriller. And it succeeds dramatically while delivering thrilling elements to interest viewers not seeking depth. But the script, written by co-stars Cory Knauf and Joseph McKelheer along with director Saitzyk, holds off the graphic violence long enough to develop a meaningful story.
That story concerns Charlie (Joseph McKelheer), a low-rent evangelist working in Alaska. We meet him hard at work in the film’s effective opening sequence. He employs old-style healing techniques in a transparent attempt to motivate his audience to give. But an encounter with an old sick woman leaves Charlie with a nose bleed. Later we learn that this is probably just part of his act, but it is an intriguing start.
Charlie may have faith in God, but he’s lost his way. He’s turned to the bottle and cheats on his wife with a prostitute. But when his wife and toddler son are murdered, Charlie’s faith is tested like never before. Instead of abandoning the Bible, the jaded Charlie sets out to find hidden meaning within it. He carries around the Good Book crossing out with a black marker all words that he determines are superfluous. Few words remain after his marker has done its work.
The murder of Charlie’s wife and child goes unsolved for 6 months, confounding local lawman Mitch (Ed Lauter). But all that changes when Charlie is visited by the angelic Sarah Roberts (Courtney Halverson), who is seeking help with her troubled brother, Luke (Cory Knauf). Reluctantly, Charlie agrees to travel to Sarah’s home. What awaits may provide Charlie with answers but the cost may be too high.
A mix of religious exposition and grisly horror, “Godspeed” is visually striking and well-made. The cast is clearly committed to the material that they themselves penned, but this can get in the way. At times, the expositive moments drag down the progress of the narrative and even seem a bit forced. But the performances, however overwrought at times, push the story forward effectively to its violent and thought-provoking conclusion. Standout is McKelheer who captures the tortured grief Charlie is experiencing well. Knauf is solid in an unforgiving role that he wrote for himself, but some of the situations he’s placed in prove to be a little unconvincing no matter how seriously he takes the character. McKelheer and Knauf make a formidable team—talent both in front and behind the camera.
“Godspeed” is a little film with lofty ambitions. Because those ambitions are directed toward developing a complex story and credible characters, rather than based in the shock value associated with violence, the film is to be credited and lauded.
