Rarely are there movies that involve God and His glory. “The Grace Card” places God as a main part of the plot.
The movie begins with tragedy striking a happy family from Memphis, Tenn. The story then jumps ahead 17 years, showing a family that is now torn apart at the seams. The father, Mac, played by Michael Joiner, struggles with connecting to his teenage son, Blake, played by Robert Erickson. Life takes a surprising turn when Mac is assigned a new partner in the police force ” Sam Wright, played by Michael Higgenbottom, is an African-American cop and pastor.
The relationship between Mac and Sam has a rocky start and even Sam finds himself questioning why God would put him in Mac’s life. Mac battles with the harsh reality of losing his young son and his family suffers the horrible effects that his grief has brought.
When tragedy strikes the family again, Mac finds himself questioning his ability to continue. He not only questions life but God. However, circumstance and fate step in to reveal the greatness of God and His glory.
This movie discusses the themes of grace and forgiveness. It dives into dramatic elements that drive the audience through an emotional experience. Racism is another theme the movie addresses, though it is treated as more of a minor problem between these characters. “The Grace Card” treats each struggle with sensitivity.
The movie did not have a blockbuster, million-dollar budget. The cinematography is simple and allows the focus to be on what the movie is trying to teach. The simplicity of the plot makes it easy to follow the message that first-time director, David G. Evans, and co-writer, Howard Klausner, were trying to reveal.
Each struggle and life-altering moment is something that both Mac and even Sam thought at times would be impossible to overcome. However, this movie displayed how these characters could triumph over all their worries by having a relationship with God.
Even though the acting is not Oscar award winning, the movie is still driven by the harsh, realistic story line. Overall, “The Grace Card” is highly recommended for those who want to escape into a movie that contains Christian values and struggles. It is playing in limited release, so finding it in a local theater maybe difficult. “The Grace Card” is rated PG-13 and its running time is 101 minutes.
