For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada

Revolutions are never easy. And sometimes they demand sacrifice. Sacrifice of many things to achieve something for a later generation. It's a tough movie to watch for many reasons, but it's also not taking prisoners (literally at times), which you might like about it or dismiss. But that's how things can go down, when there is uproar.

We might live in societies today that don't have to fight for certain things, but it's not too much of a stretch to see why and how some had to fight for freedom of speech or religion or other things. The movie depicts a real life event/incidents, which might appall some viewers from the get go, but if you like Drama and History in general, this might be for you. I haven't read too much about how things went down exactly, but I reckon this movie made me aware of a chapter I hadn't had heard about before ...

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.

"We are now an army, we are an army fighting for Gad and for the church and for absolute freedom." A true story about the Cristeros War (1926-1929) which was a war by the people of Mexico against the atheistic Mexican government led by president Plutarco Elias Calles. Enrique Gorostieta Velarde (Garcia) leads a revolt of Mexican Christians against the government in hopes he can restore Mexico to the faith filled nation it once was. I will start by saying that this is a very good movie and entertaining to watch. I know nothing about the history or how accurate this is but I enjoyed it. The only problem that I had with the movie is that I really felt no connection to any of the characters and when one would get killed or have a serious problem I wasn't invested enough for it to have the impact that it was trying for. That said it doesn't really take away from the enjoyment of the movie but I didn't really feel the emotion that I think the filmmakers were trying for. Garcia is a great choice for this but he seems to play the character he played in "Godfather 3" or the Ocean's movies but a Mexican soldier version and he came off a little too cocky, but like I said I don't know the history and the real guy may have been that way too. It may seem like I'm rambling but the movie was over 2 hours long and it felt it and some parts I found it hard to stay focused on but overall this is a good watch and in my opinion one of the best releases this week. Overall, a good western/war movie that is pretty heavy on the religious issues. I give it a B+.

As a Catholic very concerned about the anti-Catholic direction of our society, I wanted to see For Greater Glory. But after reading the reviews on RottenTomatoes, I assumed it would be a good message poorly presented. I could not have been farther from the truth. This was a excellent movie - especially for a directorial debut. Even if you are not Catholic you will find this movie very moving and well done.

Andy Garcia is excellent - he even shows intense emotions. Mauricio Kuri had an outstanding rookie performance. Nestor Carbonell's role was perfect for him. Peter O'Toole was a wonderful surprise if short lived.

Ignore RottenTomatoes - you will not be disappointed!