God Is a Bullet

Despite its fine (tho under-rated) two leads, and its noted writer/director Nick Cassavetes, crime thriller "God Is A Bullet" is a sluggish disappointment. When cop Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's ex-wife (and her husband) are killed & teen daughter kidnapped by Karl Glusman's evil demonic cult (including Ethan Suplee), ex-cult member Maika Monroe (strong again) helps him track them to Mexico to get the daughter back (helped by Jamie Foxx). Tho an apparently true tale it seems far fetched, simplistic, hole-filled, and a tad repetitive & slow. While nowhere near matching the best of those involved (like Coster-Waldau's similarly toned "Shot Caller") it's still just about watchable.

I'm a big Vigo fan and read the book, so had to give this a shot. I just can't figure out why they went this way with the film. I was getting bored but then they played "Maggot Brain" by Funkadelic and it got my attention again. The acting is good but characters are pretty dull. They could have done so much more with the time they used for mostly incoherent dialogue to learn about the characters. And the over acting by one of the cult members (won't spoil it) was just so over-the-top I rolled my eyes and laughed. Also, not sure how the parental guide got approved but the violence is definitely not that bad, and there's no nudity.

Based on the rating and tons of negative reviews, I expected this to be a major dissapointment. However I decided to give it chance because of Nicolaj Coster - Waldau, who has surprised me with some excellent roles before (Shot Caller). I understand people's frustration as they have seen the version that is 2 and a half hours long, but there is a one of an hour and 47 minutes which is excellent. If you are a fan of 80's and 90's action/revenge /old Mad Max movies vibe, give this one a chance (at least the shorter version) and you might find yourself entertained and pleased. At least I have....

Wow, I didn't expect that.

First off, make sure you watch the original version of this movie that was released in theaters. It's 2 hours and 35 minutes. There is a censored version out there that's only 2 hours long. The parts they removed for violence/gore were some of the most shocking (in a good way) moments in the movie.

And they remove entire subplots that are important to the story and character decisions. I see a lot of people complaining that it doesn't make sense or is disjointed. That's what happens when you strip away 22% of a movie.

God is a Bullet is far from perfect and not everything works. But there is so much that does work. I was fully invested and never bored through this longer runtime. There are multiple jaw-dropping moments and crazy scenes.

And it never feels like it's holding back. People who are easily triggered might not be able to handle it, and I don't mean that as an insult. But I like my movies not to have limitations and am annoyed with how often studios play it safe with PG-13 movies.

The whole cast does a good job, but Maika Monroe shines. And Jonathan Tucker always has small roles but always kills it. He fully transforms into his character.

I had a great time with this movie and would watch it again. It took me on an emotional ride and I wish I chose to see this in theaters. (1 viewing, 7/25/2023)

Another great film on the cutting room floor.... Look at this cast Ethan Suplee, karl glusman, January jones, Coster Waldau, Jamie Foxx, and MALKA MONROE is superb.

NOTHING wrong with the acting, super acting, action shots were good, tension build up was good, Its just too long and it didnt know what it was.

I think it was a Noir/Horror /Gothic cult movie that would have been around for decades. Who knows maybe there is a directors cut, maybe this was butchered by other hands, and not the creative team. There is a great movie in all that rotten story boarding and lack of continuity.

The real movie is on the cutting room floor.