Courageous

The Sherwood Baptist Church of Albany, Georgia, has now made four AWESOME movies using VOLUNTEER people and talents from their own congregation, right down to people VOLUNTEERING to provide childcare and meals plus arranging for costumes and making sets! These 4 movies are extremely family-friendly, and they display their message of Faith and Hope in a very captivating and fun manner! Each movie has more than one story line, which keeps the movie interesting for both men and women as well as children! The other 3 movies made by Sherwood Baptist Church are "Flywheel", "Facing the Giants", and "Fireproof!" (in which Kirk Cameron starred and VOLUNTEERED his talents!) FLYWHEEL is about a used car salesman trying to get a restored classic car to run, while keeping his business afloat and his family united. FACING THE GIANTS is about a small Christian school whose football team is trying to win games, and eventually faces the 3-time state champion "Giants" -- while the coach and his wife are trying to have a baby. FIREPROOF! is about a fireman (Kirk Cameron) and his wife who are very devoted to their jobs, but not so devoted to their marriage--until the husband realizes he does not want a divorce, and accepts the challenge of a "Love Dare" to see if he can bring his marriage back together. COURAGEOUS is about a Sherrif's Department who display great courage both on the job and in their personal lives, particularly after one suffers the loss of a close family member and another faces financial challenges and sees a way to fix the problem--legal or not! I am grateful to Amazon for offering the "Combo Pack" of Fireproof!, Facing the Giants, and Flywheel (Triple Feature), as I have bought several of these Combo Packs and given them away for gifts -- and this year I bought 12 copies of Courageous and gave them away for gifts! All 4 of these movies are extremely entertaining and I believe they bring Glory to God -- and I'm not even Baptist!!! --so I again thank Amazon for making these wonderful movies available, and I'll continue buying them for gifts as me and all of my children now own a copy of every movie!

Perhaps because I am a Christian with the same values as depicted in the film, perhaps because I recognize the truths the film shows, perhaps because I am an avid movie buff. For whatever "because," for whatever reason, I find "Courageous" one of the most perfect films ever created. Every character rings true, every piece of dialogue, every scene, every setting, every part and parcel of action and plot ring true. "Courageous" is an awesome and amazing film filled with great emotional, moral, ethical moments buttressed by clips of exciting action scenes. It's a film worthy of viewing multiple times. "Courageous" depicts the daily lives of four police officers and their Latino friend, Javier. The main character is played by the co-writer/director/producer, Adam Kendrick, whose finger is on the very mainline pulse of the America that once existed--a moral America. The film promotes many positive things, foremost being a good father, a father as set forth in the Bible. In fact, the ultimate premise for this promotion lies in statistics: Families without fathers tend toward serious delinquency problems. There's a void in the child's heart that needs to be filled, if not with a good father image, then with gang leaders. Even fathers who are a part of the family direct their children away from them if they are present but unavailable. The event that precipitates this resolution to be a true father is the death of the main character's precious daughter. Be prepared to be deeply moved by this well-written section. Some scripts try to jerk the viewer emotionally, but not this one. Everything is so evenly played and handled. No maudlin moments, no flaunting of emotional excess. Each of the male characters was (carefully, not blatantly) created to represent a specific type of man/father. Adam's character is the founder and spokesperson for the group that resolves to be biblically-based fathers. Nathan is the fine, upstanding black officer, proud of his accomplishments but who came out of a fatherless home and severely felt the loss. One character is the single man (young, white) who has fathered a child and not taken responsibility for her. The last is the one who yields to temptation and breaks the bond that hold the men together. The fifth is a Latino, a devout Catholic, a family man who is having terrible problems with keeping a job, not through his own fault. How he becomes a member of this little group is part of a hilarious, yet touching scene. Family complications and eventual growth also make this film inspirational. So, bottom line: inspiration of several kinds, integrity, loyalty, honest and decent work, friendship, and commitment to true religious values all contribute to making this a film worthy of purchase to make multiple viewings possible. I absolutely loved "Courageous" and all it stands for.

This is such an amazing tale. Very well thought out. Relatable and interesting. As a Christian, this movie moved in our house. Would buy again and again.

This review will be different from so many 5 stars. I'm not going to discredit the 5-star ratings, I think it would be good to read how Courageous is, in fact, not opinion, a great movie. My father was born a 7th child of a prostitute (my natural grandmother). He and my aunts and uncles were taken by the state at a very young age. My father and one of my aunts ended up in a foster home. My father was beaten on regular basis by his foster mother and brother. His foster father however did treat him well but did nothing to stop the abuse. And his foster family called themselves Christian. My dad lived with them all the way through high school. My dad through out his hard times chose to remain faithful to Jesus Christ and His teachings. My dad became a well-known evangelist and often worked with the Billy Graham Crusades. Now, would this make my review irrelevant since the Sheriff points out the stats of troubled youth in a fatherless household? No. My father told me when I told him I wish to be a father some day that he was proud to hear me say that. Dad said the reason he wanted to be a father (a good father) was that way my two sisters and I would never experience what he went through growing up. Dad always emphasized the need of having fathers in the household. Also, my dad later went back to his foster family to make amends with my Grandma Weirbach (dad's foster mother) asked for dad's forgiveness and he did. I had great times with Grandma Weirbach until her death. I am about to be a father myself. My fiancee made mistakes in her life choices but repented and came back to the Lord. My future son is the middle child and unlike the oldest sister and the youngest brother his father abandoned them when he was born. As soon as I came into their lives I wanted to let my future son know that I want to be his father and by the grace of God I will raise him well. Just as Courageous portrays. I've only met my future son once because I have been on deployment, but his behavior turned from bad to good. He's doing better in school, he is now a top player in his soccer team, and he tells me he loves me on the ship-to-shore phone. So I am a witness to the power of fathers to the fatherless. I want my son (whom I will be adopting), stepdaughter (who I may adopting as well, long story) and stepson to have the life I had the blessing of God to have. I do not want them to fall into the selfishness of a humanist world. I will be bringing them up as Christians and that by my example they will take my faith as their own. I just bought Courageous here on Amazon after seeing it twice on my deployment, which I'm coming home from; this message must be taught to those who are willing to step out of ignorance and listen. And finally, I have read all of the one-stars here. They are nothing more than anti-Christian propaganda. They claimed they have seen the movie and use scenes from it to prove it. Well I seen similar prejudice reviews on anti-Christian websites by those who did see the movie only to not listen to the message but find ways to make it sound "evil." If you do get this movie listen to it's message. A lot of one-stars are right that it's not Hollywood acting, it's real-life acting. So I got Courageous and Fireproof on Blu-Ray because I am going to make sure that the whole family watches. Maybe make it a tradition. Because it's rare to find a positive, uplifting movie in this day and age of "pessimism is cool." FINAL NOTE: You will be ROFLing at the "Snake Kings" scene. X-D

I can't help but notice that virtually all of the 1 star reviews I read here on Amazon for this movie are by non-Christian people who are either hostile to Christianity or resent the fact that Sony Pictures does not call out the fact that this is a movie with a Christian message. While I understand these complaints I have to disagree with the juvenile attacks against the story and acting in this movie. The story is just as good if not better than any secular movie I've seen come out of Hollywood in recent years. The performances in this movie are absolutely remarkable given the fact that the actors are not professionals. I saw no cheesy performances, no hams. Just because we don't see George Clooney or Matt Damon or Ryan Reynolds or whoever in this movie does NOT mean that the actors here are inadequate or poor. I can't help but think that the anti-Christian nature of many of the negative reviews gives away a bias that criticizes the story as cheesy and the actors as bad, not because this is true, but because these people just don't like Christians or Christianity. If the Christian message was removed from this movie and it featured an ensemble of well known Hollywood types, I'm sure the reviews from the Christianity-bashers would have been much different. Or if the movie had an anti-Christian message (as many movies out of Hollywood do nowadays) I'm sure these people would applaud it. Having said this, I highly recommend this excellent movie. The message of this movie is inspiring, life-affirming and heartwarming WITHOUT being cliched or cheesy. But if you hate Christianity and can't handle the Christian message being presented in a realistic and positive way and would just be insulted and put out by it, don't watch it because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is foolishness and an offense to those of you who are perishing and already dead in your sins.

Five stars for movie: (review of the movie following) One star for format: (Skip to * to read more about my thoughts on the UltraViolet stuff. This is one of the best movies I have ever seen, and I have seen a wide variety of them in my time-good ones and bad ones. I've even been part of a film team and worked on the process of creating a film. It starts out with a bang that grabs you (and surprises you!) and you get completely immersed in the story. I did not see the tragedy coming (and I am usually pretty good at spotting these a mile away.) There were many scenes in which I cried, and even more where I was laughing SO hard. I LOVE Xavier-favorite character. Do NOT see this as stereotypical as one person said. Pretty hard to be stereotypical when there is only ONE family-that is the way they live, they are poor, struggling, haven't had work in awhile. That's why they eat rice and beans! (Ever hear of Dave Ramsey?!) I love what this movie portrays, and there are many topics it covers. Men being the fathers in their home-ACTIVE fathers, not just "there" fathers. Dads taking an active role in protecting their daughters and teaching them about their worth. Taking responsibility for your actions, and also, work to provide for family. *If I were reviewing the FORMAT of this item, the Ultraviolet, I would give it a one-star. I researched this UV stuff before buying this particular item/format. I did not see anything that would make me think that is was ONLY for certain devices/computers. I checked the system requirements, and I meet or exceed all those. However, today, once the movie arrived, and I registered for my UV/Sony account, I cannot add a device. Instead this is what it says, "UltraViolet titles will soon be available from all UltraViolet participating retailers in a standard downloadable file format that will work on all UltraViolet-compatible media players apps and devices, and which can be copied from one UltraViolet-compatible app/device to another." ON FAQs, the Q is, "Will I need to purchase special equipment" the answer is: "Many existing players and apps on computers and smartphones are upgradeable to support UltraViolet. Players that work with UltraViolet right out of the box will be available, and you may be interested in making such a feature one of your "checklist" items when buying new devices." In other words, most likely, my devices need to be UPGRADED AND other items WILL BE AVAILABLE, but ARE NOT NOW!!!! I would look for a different format and wait until you HAVE a UV capable device. I can still stream online and thank goodness we have DSL and wi-fi in our house, but we are not able to download it to our computer OR any other device as we were led to believe. Very disappointed in this. I had hoped it would be like a digital copy like many others are: a disc that you insert to your computer and enter a code to unlock that copy. Sadly, it is not. Please: don't make the same mistake.

Just watched this movie on Prime with my husband and son. It was very well done. The pastor scene and the range scene could have missed the message of relying on the Lord and the gift of salvation. And they did NOT. This was an excellent movie and the acting was very good. Watch this with the men in your life

Excellent movie. Every one should see this film. Made well, and the message is very clear and on point.

Enjoyable movie

Dieser Film ist ein wahres Meisterwerk und verdient absolut 5 Sterne. Alex Kendrick hat es mit seinem Team geschafft, nach Facing the Giants und Fireproof technisch und erzählerisch noch einen draufzusetzen. Mit einer starken Aussagekraft vertritt dieser Film Werte, die die heutige Zeit dringend braucht. Die Geschichte erzählt den Alltag einiger Väter, ist mit ernsten, tragischen aber auch lustigen Elementen ein abwechslungreicher, dennoch wohl dosierter Gefühlscocktail. Jedem Vater ist dieser Film sehr zu empfehlen, denn er verändert in mancherlei Hinsicht das Denken und öffnet einem die Augen. Technisch ist der Film auch ein wahrer Leckerbissen. Die Cinematography von Bob Scott ist absolut professionell und ästhetisch. Hollywood ist nicht mehr weit, wenn sogar nicht schon in einigen Punkten eingeholt. Bitte nur weiter so, Sherwood Pictures! Vielen Dank für diesen Film!

A brilliant storyline, with a good solid Christian ethos. It's good to see a Christian based topic, that doesn't get trashed by non-believers or secularists

Le DVD est illisible. Je ne peux le regarder. Que faire ???

Courageous - great title and story line that has a lesson for everyone and will make you laugh and cry - covers the extremely important subject of fatherhood, leading the family and being there for your children. It is all about choice and we need God to help us be the best that we can be. Full of excitement, action, hope and commitment - grab your older children and enjoy this film, which will really make you think whether you are seizing the opportunity to make a difference in your child's life. Don't put things off, when your child asks something of you whether to dance or run miles, be sure to drop everything and do it for they grow so fast and, sadly, some day will stop asking. Some scenes may not be appropriate for very young children - some violence and drug content although I did not find it horrific or graphic like the Hollywood films we see today - no sexual content or foul language, which is nice.