Leftists ACCIDENTALLY Made A Great Christian Film 

If God can use Pharaoh to show His Greatness, he can use Susan Sarandon

This is one of my issues with Christian media recently. I'm older now and able to better understand what was in the Bible a lot more and the stories in there are dark and gritty, but when I was in church, the stories were sanitized and watered down so much that it wouldn't scare the faint hearted congregation. Even the depictions of the people in Christ's time looked clean and well nourished when the reality was a brutal existence. We need some real Christian stories being told in the same vein of Sin City.

It's a film I saw when it came out, I remember it as being a film that didn't play games, the killer was a killer, and not treated as a victim, the nun was a good, but nowhere near perfect, person. For me it said the death penalty is wrong even for those who deserve it. I didn't agree but respected the arguments it made.

I Love the Unconditional Love shown in this film. We are called to Love as Christians. Love does not mean there are no consequences.

Having the death penalty acknowledges that there are crimes so depraved, so cruel, and so callous that only the death penalty is an appropriate punishment. Torture of the victim, rape of a child, multiple victims made to watch the suffering of others, etc. are some of the horrific circumstances over and above the murder that justify, at least to many, ridding the planet of the perpetrator.

The problem is when people think that because someone is good at their job that makes them a good person. This is especially NOT true in Hollywood.

There are crimes deserving of the death penalty, to protect people and to deter crime. That doesn’t mean the criminal is beyond hope for his eternal soul. Christ can and does forgive and redeem. But a person may still reap the earthly consequences of crime. I agree with Klavan’s assessment of the American system: it takes too long. The Bible even mentions that legal action should be swift, not take too long.

Even having never been touched by murder directly in my life, I am FOR capital punishment. But I am against the criminals spending more than a few years on death row. Let them have their legal appeals, and then get it over with.

Andrew, you need to read “Mission at Nuremberg” by Tim Townsend. Daily Wire should make it into a film! It’s a wonderful opportunity to bring Christians and Jews together with a true story of Christian compassion. I’m a conservative Presbyterian pastor who loves great films and performing arts. I have come to greatly appreciate your take on so many things. Keep the faith, brother!

I remember watching this movie when I was a kid and it actually solidified my pro death penalty stance for certain people. It was an excellent movie and a truly good story. It also sounds like this nun (and the character Sarandon plays) seems somewhat naive. Not necessarily in a negative way. I know she meant well, and she wanted to be a messenger for god.

Dead Man Walking is an incredible film. Remember walking out of the theater moved, and was still moved days later. Sign of a terrific movie.

I forgot that R. Lee Ermey is in this movie and boy did he steal that scene.

This is one of the few times I have ever heard Christianity described so well. Because we are human we do want to conform reality to out beliefs, or worse, conform our beliefs to our culture. Faith is not easy. Keeping it is not easy.

You really deserve more subscribers than you have Andrew. You are incredibly insightful and wise in your commentary and have an awesome sense of humour to top it off. Much respect.

I have come to believe that the death penalty is necessary....not because it's a deterrant...it isn't. BUT it says very clearly that as a society we take the taking of a human life so seriously that we will do what we must if you prove yourself a predator. We will expend our time and treasure to allow you to defend yourself, we will keep our process under constant review to ensure we are not becoming predators ourselves but ultimately, if you aren't willing to stare that evil in the eye and not back down then the evil WILL proliferate. If the Almighty, Creator of the Universe who flung stars into space has said it is part of His law then who are we to say it's wrong. We can and should keep arguing over how we apply it BECSUSE the taking of life is an important matter...but the taking of an innocent life is at the top of the hierarchy of society's offenses and shall not and will not be accepted. The death penalty should stand, it's application should be a point of continuous debate

As a retired correctional officer I can tell you that convicts themselves see capital punishment as a proper punishment for things like murder and rape. They see life without parole as being cruel and unusual punishment. Beside that, we should never lower ourselves to that of the criminal to make a point. Many people are unaware of the words of Jesus, such as Matthew 5:44 which says, "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you," Having movies that employ this aren't trying to force their religious views on a situation, but rather be true to the Word of God. Maybe Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, and Sean Penn were able to depict this Biblical view even though they didn't believe it themselves. According to Merriam-Webster, "The word hypocrite ultimately came into English from the Greek word hypokrites, which means “an actor” or “a stage player.” The Greek word itself is a compound noun: it’s made up of two Greek words that literally translate as “an interpreter from underneath.” That bizarre compound makes more sense when you know that the actors in ancient Greek theater wore large masks to mark which character they were playing, and so they interpreted the story from underneath their masks. It is not surprising, therefore, that we find an abundance of "hypocrites" in Hollywood. Nor is it surprising to find "actors" with the ability to portray outside their personal beliefs.

Andrew, you are the first public person who articulates exactly how I feel about the death penalty. The US does it wrong. I might support it if it was a true deterrent and not a drain on society, but even then I have misgivings. I heard enough about the Oklahoma City bombing to believe that Timothy McVeigh had more information than he revealed, and we will never know the whole story.

Agreed. Another great irony of the film? It was produced as an anti-capital punishment screed. Instead you watch as the character played by Sean Penn goes from a lying, murdering, conscience-less, sociopath to a man who faces what he has done and who he is, and has what could be a conversion experience. The trigger that brought about the change? The realization that his con was over...that he actually was about to die. Check out "Mercy Seat" by Johnny Cash.

What struck me as well is that he lies right up to the very end. It takes him facing imminent death and the knowledge that he will face his maker in order for him to repent. The death penalty is about the eternal soul and where it will go, not temporary life from conception to death.

I haven't seen the film, but the clip with the victim's parents blows me away not just because it's powerful and it's great acting, but because of the acting chops of R. Lee Ermy. I didn't know he was that great of an actor. I had only ever seen him in roles in the mold of drill sergeant.

I came away from this film no longer solidly anti-DP! I thought about how facing death can make you reassess your life, and knowing you're going to die for your sins can make you think about what might happen after you die because of your sins. Eventually I settled in a no-mans-land where I don't know if you'd say I'm for the death penalty but only in certain circumstances or anti-DP except in certain circumstances.

I saw it when it came out and I came to the same conclusion, I did not think it was a anti death penalty movie. I felt the character that penn played only changed BECAUSE he was faced with DEATH, He would never have changed without that reality.

The nun portrayed by Susan came across as someone with peripheral knowledge of Catholicism trying to explain Jesus.

Saw this movie in sophomore high school sex Ed class. It took almost a week to get through. It was terrifying.

My favorite Christian movie is an R rated apocalypse with Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman-The Book of Eli-about a man who has to take the Bible across the US to kickstart society again. The Bible, the world of the film, and the plot twist, and especially the villain’s motive, all serve to make it an excellent accidental Christian film.

This is one of the best and most honest assessments on art making /good storytelling. Both the left and right can become too heavy handed and didactic in trying to drive home a message. Thank you for this, I think I will watch it again.

At Close Range was a great movie. The the song "Live To Tell" is also arguably the best song Madonna ever recorded.

This is a profound analysis of what makes art great. It has to be truthful and real. It can't be sugarcoated and nice. That is why Dostoevsky is a great artist.

As a young filmmaker, I do agree that Most of the stories I read in the bible are R rated by modern standards especially the book of Judges and Joshua. I wonder why we sugarcoat such stories yet they are as real and need to be explored to understand how the mercy of God works.

Sadly this film would not be made today.

I thought exactly the same when I saw this movie. I knew it was supposed to convince me to be opposed to capital punishment, but it didn't. It was too honest in showing how evil murderers can be. They NEED to be executed. I'm sick of people focusing on how evil it is to kill people and ignoring how evil some people are, and that it would be evil NOT to kill them for their crimes.

This was an excellent commentary. My favorite to date. Thank you.

The death penalty can give the public a feeling of safety knowing the predator can never escape & kill more.

I didn't watch most of the movie. But I saw the part in which Susan Sarandon said something along the lines of salvation not being a free gift. According to the Bible salvation IS a free gift. Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (KJV)

I think you missed the point of the bitter parents, that they called a murderer “God’s mistake” - its a juxtaposition of a person working out forgiveness in its messiness and people expanding their hatred in a linear way.

The greatest Christian movie, imho, ever made, which certainly was not intended as such, is 'Shawshank Redemption'. The movie is based on a short story by Steven King, a leftist that would choke on his own tongue at the thought that a movie based on one of HIS stories is a perfect analogue for the story of Christ's suffering, flanked by thieves on his cross, his death and resurrection and his legacy/message of hope. If you have not seen this movie, go rent/stream/buy it - it's one of the very best movies ever made.

When we saw this movie at an APA convention in Toronto my teenage daughter was so distressed by it. She is firm in her stance against the death penalty. My stance since 9 11 has shifted a little.

Isn't this film like 30 years old? Hollywood today is completely different from Hollywood then. Could you imagine a movie like Silence of the Lambs getting made these days.

Dead Man Walking is so good but I cannot rewatch. Truly heartbreaking

I'm moved every time I watch Signs. It's a great story about Faith and how God works through ways we might not always understand. I've seen it so many times, but I'm always touched by the story every time I watch it. These are the types of "Christian" movies I wish we had more of.

This is what I mean when I say art can help! Even art made by those who are anti truth. Art seeks the depths of meaning. There is only one place where the deepest meaning can be found. Christians should not abandon the arts because there are pearls buried in these fields.

My view of the death penalty is and has always been Fair trial, you get an appeal After that, there's either the execution or there isn't. All child predators are automatic death penalty I am 100% pro-execution; but the way the system is now, someone is more likely to die of old age waiting for it to happen than for it to *actually* happen As you say, that's not fair to the families, the victims, the families of the victims, the tax payer or community, and it certainly isn't fair to the convicted him/herself And for the one or two trolls that love to vulture these videos: Yes, that is the pro-life position and no, there is no contradiction there On one hand, you have innocence born into a broken world who never did anything wrong and hasn't even had the opportunity to sin And on the other, you have Person X convicted of Crime Y with Victim Z, and who caused real, irreparable harm Is it more humane to put a rabid dog down, or to cage it up and keep it frothing for 30, 40, 60 years, living in anger and terror, knowing it's only waiting to be put down? Or should the rabid dog be left to ravage the citizenry?

Thank you so, SO MUCH for this video commentary. One of the issues I was having with Christian "art" or maybe "media" in general is just what you said at the end. They're "theories", they're not "real". They're basically how people "should" act but not how they REALLY act. It just makes it so hard when I look at the nitty gritty of the world and see the brutality of reality and am just like "well what are we supposed to do??? Pretend this part doesn't exist???"

I was pro death penalty till a close friend died and i felt the loss of friendship, potential, experience, and everything else he would have done eventually had he lived. We had so many plans to fulfill, discussions to have, laughs to share, fights to resolve, and so on. Yet he was just gone and it was too late for everything. After that i could never support the death penalty again. Except for self defense, i really dont feel any of us has the right to take all that away from anyone. It isnt just the person youre killing, but everything he could be in the future. Now I dont know what the alternative should be because i also dont believe in locking a man away for the rest of his life. I dont think all people can be reformed, but i do think that everybody should be given the chance. We cannot see the future and so cant genuinely say that a person is beyond help or beyond change, even if that change happens after decades, 5 minutes before passing away in a hospital. Theres also the case of wrong convictions, which will always happen because cops, judges, and lawyers are human and they make mistakes. If 100000 people are correctly judged and executed but one innocent man is wrongfully convicted and given the death sentence, that is enough reason to abolish death sentences.

This is the great paradox of Christianity. If we (as sinners) truly repent, does he forgive us? What if Hitler sincerely repented in the moments before death? Does he get past the doorman? How is that fair? I think this movie stokes that debate so well. In a good way. Never mind the soundtrack. An all around classic film.

I didn’t see the execution as a tragedy. It was the best part of the movie to see justice at least partially served. Only victims can forgive. Being against capital punishment is an exercise in vanity & ignorance, not mercy. How else do we weigh the value of innocent life as a society than by the price one must pay when they deliberately rip it apart? It's lenient enough already with the punishment not fitting the crime. The murderers get years to come to terms with their death, say their goodbyes to family members, make peace with it & then are granted a relatively painless death. The victims' lives are ripped away unexpectedly without mercy & often feel prolonged anguish before their world is completely snuffed out.

Having been touched by murder and witnessed an execution are the reasons I haven't watched this movie, but given your review, I may give it a go. I am very much pro capital punishment. Like you, I agree that the process is flawed with the number of appeals and the time involved in the legal system is both punishment for the families and the criminal.

The deciding factor on my belief on the death penalty. North Carolina county, over two years 31 first degree murder trials, 16 with private council, 15 with public defender's. Guess which 15 got the death penalty? Death penalty is for the poor!

I heard Sister Helen give a lecture many years ago. It was at Cal State Univ, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo campus. Very overwhelming lecture.

"God is not dead" is also an amazing movie. It is not ideal. Shows hardships. And it is not sunshine and rainbows. Shows real suffering and even tragedy. But in the middle of that, we walked away from watching it with a very powerful message of how God is good. I highly recommend it

I don't believe in the death penalty simply because it cost the taxpayers way too much money. As soon as they are sentenced, the appeal process starts and hundreds of thousands of dollars go to the people fighting to get it reversed. Give them all a life sentence without the possibility of parole. I would never watch this movie because I am unable to listen to anything these people say regardless of what they are saying.

This is a great analysis- I really enjoyed this.

I walked away with tremendous respect for Sarandon and Robbins. To promote their position of being anti-death penalty, they could’ve made Sean Penn’s character innocent of the crime and bolster the argument of putting an innocent man to death. But they made the character guilty of murder.

Most unexpected Christian movie: Blade Runner. Deckard had killed his whole replicant 'family'. Batty has every reason to destroy him. But in his final moments Batty forgives Deckard and spares his life.

I remember watching this movie in the theater with one of my sisters.. I am 45 now.. when I was probably 17 and my sister was 19. It was a very hard film to watch I'll be honest but the message was unbelievable. I know it's a good movie because of that.

I never took the movie as a propaganda for us to stand opposed against the death penalty. There is that once flashback scene in fact that would make you think that perhaps the protagonist did deserve the punishment he got. The point was not about him being worthy or not of redemption. That can forever be debated. The point here is that he finally owned up to what he did and repented

Thank you for your evaluation of a film, which I have not previously seen; but now I will. Incidentally, do you have any plans in making a review of Padre Pio?

Also, Andrew, can you create a separate playlist for your videos where you discuss the arts and movies specifically?

The problem with the death penalty is that it has been shown that a number of people have been executed by the state who turned out to be innocent of the crime. At least if they had received life imprisonment and subsequently found innocent, they would be released with some years to live free.

Mr klavan, a wonderful kaleidoscopic perspective put into few words... priceless, thnx

My son said that the Penn character had not faced his death he might never have come to the Lord. My only problem with the death penalty is that there are prosecutors who want the win MORE than they want the truth. We know innocent people have been put to death.

There's an opera at the Met in NY playing on this very story. Dead Man Walking.

Highy interesting, Andrew. Will keep an eye out for this film. I'm always on the lookout for accidentally good movies -- think this includes one from 1995 called Pharaoh's Army.

Rushdoony stated nearly 50 years ago, that art was religion externalized……

very awesome what you said! thanks for the point!

Said it before and I'll say it again. Klavan on cinema is fantastic. His politics are cool but this is gold

Well, I guess even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Regarding your comment about movies showing babies as a positive thing, Hollywood did make a bunch of movies like that in the late 80s. Look Who's Talking comes to mind and Baby Boom. They seem to have stopped making positive family movies now altogether.

Thank you for sharing this. I am awed by the movie and real life in this movie. Beautifully said, “ He changed the world through love…”

I want to be a film maker, and I worry that I won’t get anywhere because I’m a Christian. But I really don’t want to be a cliche Christian-movie maker, I want to make real movies that reflect the truth of Christ. Thanks for recommending this! I’m trying to find good movies to watch to imitate. They say that to write well you need to read a lot, and I’m of the same opinion with movie making, both reading and watching a lot of good stuff.

I would love to know Mr. Klavan's intriguing thoughts about : 1. the independent film RAPTURE starring Mimi Rogers and David Duchovny. 2. the HBO drama series CARNIVALE starring Clancy Brown and Nick Stahl. 3. the Shaun Cassidy show AMERICAN GOTHIC starring Gary Cole and Lucas Black.

Thanks Andrew, for doing these videos and just talking. You're better than a lot of preachers but I guess you are one.

women in prisons, preaching, is a glimpse into a masochistic personality, the dynamics of being dominant and close up to the most vile in society in a controlled environment, its a power trip

I would love to hear your views on two movies. "The Rapture" (1991) and "Silence" (2016). Please.

I also recommend tv series "Rectify" that deals with this subject.

9:47 I can't comprehend the argument that is being put forth here. I can understand the artistic element of changing the method of capital punishment but how is tragedy introduced through a more human method of death.

Is it not more punishment than death to spend all the rest of life in prison without parole???

One of the best pieces of advice came from a man who I know was insane. I was constantly complaining about liberals and he said to me, "Nobody is wrong all the time." We can complain about leftists until we are blue in the face but it would only make us miserable and we'll miss the part about them being right occasionally and needing our prayers and love.

Regarding the death penalty… Is there anything more unjust than requiring the victims and other law abiding citizens to pay for criminals’ food, clothing, shelter, education, gym equipment, etc. Not only does the victim suffer at the hands of the criminal, they must continue to support the criminal in perpetuity at the behest of the government. Humanity is terrible at justice.

Excellent review !!

This has to be the best video I've seen from you.

Great epsiode ! Amazing review Andrew,I thought, creativity require great indipendent thinking (Left) and greate efficiency require greate decipline and belief (Right).

That was a great talk by Mr. K.

Not sure I agree with your arguments or conclusion about this movie, but I do love your honest passion for truth, art, and Christ. Thank you.

Andrew I have heard you basically say before that there haven’t been any really good Christian films recently (past 20 years or so), and that a lot of Christian films are cheesy and unrealistic. Surely the latter half of that is true, but it has made me wonder if you’ve ever seen The Tree of Life (2011) or A Hidden Life (2019) both directed by Terrence Malick? I have been listening to your show regularly since 2015/16 and I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk about either of these movies. They are two of the most powerful films I’ve ever seen and both have deeply Christian themes and motifs. Anyone who loves movies and hasn’t seen them-seriously, watch both of them. I think there are some very solid Christian movies (some of them foreign films) that have come out in the past 20 years or so but they are generally not blockbusters and fly under the radar. Would love to hear your thoughts.

As a 30 year old man I really appreciate Andrew’s wisdom. He can talk about anything and I seem to always learn something.

If anyone is looking for a good Christian movie they haven’t heard of before, check out Faith Like Potatoes. It’s a South African movie, biographical, very good as far as I can remember. I’m gonna rewatch it to see if I remember correctly

I Love this You Are Sharing The Truth Mr. Klavan, What A Great Movie It Was!

THANK YOU ANDREW!!

Hate to tell you Andrew ... Sean Penn's acting career peeked with "Fast times at Ridgemont High" and it was straight down into the toilet from there.

I find that most leftist films (or films by leftists, I should say) are strikingly Christian in theme. Two of the latest Disney films for instance (Raya and the Last Dragon and Encanto) were very touching to me in the many parallels to various aspects of Christianity (and even pretty clearly anti-woke sentiments).

I remember seeing a film when I was a kid that concerned a Russian serial killer who preyed on children. He was found guilty in court, and was then taken outside and shot. I believe it was based on a true story.

Great movie that made me think about Jesus before I was a Christian! I think it was in the Solomon's temple story that the Holy Spirit descended upon non believing artists to make their gifts worthy of the task at hand

Thanks . Great review. I had similar thoughts about Cider House Rules. I am convinced the makers thought they were making a pro abortion movie but actually made an anti-abortion movie. The children's home was saved in the end by Toby Maguire's character, the baby that was not aborted.

I watched this movie in "Film Studies" in college. I can't remember a single thing about it.

have you ever reviewed "Silence" (2016)?

This is really a beautiful take, thank you!

Mad respect for a deeply honest and a penetrating analysis of one of the greatest films of 90s. Just like Christ is above politics, so is art; I am amused by the fact that both you and I share awe for Dostoyevsky's works (My favorite is Brothers Karamazov) and this film, despite the fact that we are separated by an immense distance on the political spectrum. (I would be one of those whack job commies you talked about.)

The reason we CAN love, in spite of emotions, is that love is TO WILL AND WORK TOWARD THE GOODNESS OF OTHERS …EVEN OUR ENEMIES…we can choose to obey Gods command or reject Him who sacrificed Himself for our own sins

You should review the U.K. version of A Clockwork Orange (1962) By John Anthony Burgess Wilson. It has an extra chapter at the end which explains everything.