For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada

I just saw For Greater Glory today, and I took away from it an enormous respect for the Catholic faith of the Mexican people. It was a riveting story that I knew nothing about. The young actor who played Jose stole the show, with Father Vega taking a very close second. Definitely worth the time and money to see this movie. It also helped me understand why people defend the right of religious freedom so ferociously in our country when they feel it is being infringed upon by our government. I loved the musical score, and the cinematography - the costumes, the sets, all were excellent. I agree with some other reviews that there were a few things that could have been trimmed in the edit room - I feel we could have lost all the scenes with the US Ambassador without missing much. I hope you go see this movie.

"For Greater Glory" is an amazing film. It's an inspiring retelling of the the Cristeros War against the Mexican government for its having outlawed the Catholic Church and its executions and massacres of those who dared to live out their religious freedom.

The cast is top-notch and the direction pretty competent, keeping the story weaved among intimate scenes and battle scenes. Filled with poignant moments of the lives of the protagonists and of those close to them and with the heroic - as well as less than heroic - skirmish scenes.

It's a movie about taking sides courageously, how conflicting this can be in a man's conscience, especially when it involves the spilling of blood. If anything, the personal struggle of many characters getting into this war and carrying it out made the film shine. From the young boy who faced martyrdom for the Catholic faith - Jose Sanchez del Rio, beatified in 2005 - to his uncle, a cowardly mayor too enamored of power to save him.

I cannot help thinking how timely this film is when the Church and Catholics - for now - are again being curtailed in their freedoms by a government with its own agenda, this time the American government trying to limit the Church's ministry and to force Catholics to violate their consciences. Like Calles, Obama has presented the same arguments to justify his unjustifiable actions against the Church, Catholics and their institutions. It's government might over faith, the collective over the individual, an usurpation of the state to serve not the people, but an ideology.

PS: disregard most professional critics' reviews for they seem to have a chip on their shoulder so big that it blinds them to the artistic and cinematographic qualities of this film.

An under the radar film about a subject I knew nothing about that absolutely floored me. It's a high quality film with flat out superb performances that makes you contemplate and appreciate faith and freedom like few films have ever managed to convey. Yes, it is a faith based film. If that offends some, then this isn't the movie or the subject for you. Unlike other faith based efforts, this effort is not cheesy or ham-fisted or even preachy.

It's the tale of the Cristeros War (1926-1929); a war by the people of Mexico against the Mexican government who cracked down in brutal ways against the Catholic Church and against religious freedom in general. Andy Garcia is Oscar level good here as General Gorostieta, a man with limited faith who responds and masterfully leads the fight for freedom. It's intense and, at times, surprisingly violent and impactful. This movie delivers real emotion and doesn't dodge tough questions about faith. It delivers an exceptional balance of showing why people behave and choose to engage in certain behaviors even when such behavior is contrary to the core of their belief system.

One thing is certain; no one who has faith will take it or their religious freedom for granted after watching and EXPERIENCING this film. That's how it registered with me at any rate.

There's no doubt that the subject matter of "For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada" - the Cristeros War of Mexico in the late 1920s - could make for an interesting and even entertaining movie. But to tell the truth, I felt kind of unsatisfied at the end. One of the most expensive Mexican movies made (though low budget by Hollywood standards), I will say that the movie (for the most part) looks pretty good. But the movie is saddled with a substandard script. The movie is both too long and not long enough. It unfolds at a pretty slow pace, and there are a number of scenes that could have been eliminated. But at the same time, it doesn't go into detail enough on a number of important points. The motivations of the characters are more often than not vague, and there are a number of unanswered questions for those unfamiliar with this part of Mexican history. While I wouldn't call this movie terrible, it is unsatisfying. Though on a positive note, it will probably get you to do some research about this conflict.

This is a movie about heroes who stood up for freedom – in this case, religious freedom. It's not easy to make a heroic film, but this movie comes reasonably close. There are a few awkward camera movements, and some of the younger actors don't always make the most convincing performances. However, the overall effort is quite moving and convincing. Considering these events actually happened and these are historical figures not fictional characters makes the movie that much more compelling. Some reviewers have argued that the movie is "too Catholic." Considering these were Catholics fighting, eventually, fighting violently, for their freedoms, these criticisms reveal more about the reviewers' prejudices and biases than it does about the film. This is an important, thought-provoking film about freedom that should be seen and discussed.