Forgiven (2016) Poster

(2016)

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4/10
Forgiven - I Forgive You For The Happy Ending!
P3n-E-W1s37 May 2022
Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Forgiven; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 1.00 Direction: 1.00 Pace: 0.75 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 0.75

TOTAL: 4.25 out of 10

My primary reason for watching Forgiven was Kevin Sorbo. I became a fast fan after Andromeda and Hercules - this guy and his series have cheered up my life in bleak times. I've even enjoyed some of his movies. And by and large, this isn't a bad movie. It's the subject matter and the outcome that could exasperate some folks.

The story is basic though sound. It's well structured and has a delightful subtle twist three-quarters through. The trouble for me was the bible bashing, which starts around the same time. Right at this moment, you know the outcome of the story. The writers and director are a shade heavy-handed in getting the point and moral across. The problem is that I can see some Christians being dismayed by the blatant "Happy Ending".

The director does a respectable job of bringing the story to the small screen. There are a few interesting camera angles and decently structured compositions. However, the slow pace of the telling is too dull. This inertia only hinders the film by dropping the audience into the lap of boredom. I started to tap my feet and look away around the hour mark. Then when the "Happy Ending" came, it only added to my exasperation.

The cast is the shining star of the project - They all excel in their roles, except for Casey Fuller, who plays the hostage-taker. Fuller undersells his role immensely. He doesn't come across as scared enough, worried enough, or reproachful enough. James could have been and should have been the focal point of the story. He is, after all, the transformation of Christ's belief.

If you are a Christian who believes in the Love Of Christ and God, then this film should be for you, and the ending shouldn't be too irksome. Though, if you're not a believer, the film is okay, but be warned of the cringe-worthy ending. If it helps, then do as I did - give it a Die Hard ending. I had the sister blow him away as he left the church :-) - An-Eye-for-an-eye, and all that.

Please feel free to visit my The Game Is Afoot and Dramatisation Of Life lists to see where I ranked Forgiven.

Take Care & Stay Well.
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3/10
All Is Not Forgiven
NoDakTatum13 October 2023
Another mild Christian movie is presented to an unsuspecting public, as faith film producers wring their hands and wonder why their entertainment is not connecting on a larger scale. James (Casey Fuller) gets in a fight with his girlfriend, shooting her. He and his gun flee, hiding out in a church with a pastor and his two daughters Elizabeth (Jenn Gotzon) and Naomi (Allee Sutton Hethcoat). James takes the trio hostage, and police lieutenant Morgan (Kevin Sorbo) arrives. Cell phone negotiating commences, as Morgan fights to keep his officers back, and Elizabeth starts telling James about God's capacity to forgive.

I honestly wanted to like this film, its heart seems to be in the right place, but it isn't even eighty minutes long, and there is absolutely no tension. Flenory is saddled with way too many lines about "ending this thing" to the point where it was unintentionally funny, more so when other characters mentioned "ending this." There seems to be little research into actual hostage negotiations, and it was frustrating to watch the production flounder with a small budget and uninspired script. The two stand-out performances are from Gotzon and Fuller, their scenes together generate a small amount of drama, and the film makers should have had more of that, instead of Morgan and Flenory's character pointing at the same diagram of the church for the hundredth time while background characters smile and pretend to talk on their phones. "Forgiven" falls into the same trap that a lot of Christian films fall into. They are in such a hurry to get to the message, they forget to give the audience a reason to go along for the journey.

Contains mild physical violence, mild gun violence, some adult situations.
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2/10
UNFORGIVEABLE !!
rhiwderinray2 July 2022
What a dreary, miserable, predicable, God forsaken movie this is. Typical American claptrap. 3rd rate acting and a 4th rate script. Dont waste your time watching it.
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2/10
Could Have been better
golfrivalboom17 December 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This poorly written script makes a decent story less believable, even when when it's being told by decent actors. I'm not sure why I watched the entire film. I'm less sure why these actors accepted the script.

The first couple of minutes is okay. Things happen. Then there's panic. That's believable.

10 minutes in and the horrible script/acting just removes all believability.

Every single word sounded.... scripted. Almost as if the actors were reading it for the first time.

Every emotion felt fake and forced. Everyone's stance felt totally staged.

There was absolutely nothing about this film that felt genuine.

A good script with good actors draws some sort of real emotion from the viewers.

One of the absolute worst scenes was the entire bathroom scene. The lady takes the bag with her. Why? Wouldn't that seem odd to the guy? Wouldn't it be odd that she doesn't use the restroom, but immediately starts opening that noisy paper bag? Then the guy eventually makes her open the stall door. She hadn't flushed, but the guy didn't notice that she obviously hadn't used the restroom.

A good story told badly.
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1/10
It started with potential
tcbrook11 August 2022
....it continued with a plot. I was wondering where we were going with the story. It was interesting. ....and then it became a christian redemption movie. It was like the Jehovah Witnesses and the Mormons knocking on my door at the same time.
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1/10
Typical religious b movie
jacoblaamb20 August 2022
This is your typical religious movie that shoves Christianity down your throat with below sub par acting and horrible writing and laughable plot. Typical Kevin Sorbo movie as of late.
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9/10
Good story, surprise ending.
jamalking152 May 2021
Sorbo does it again. A solid story with good acting.

Not great acting, but good and believable.

Some will give bad marks without watching, or because they don't like the subject matter, but the story is still good and the characters maintain your interest and focus.
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7/10
Excellent story!
newlifeintegrity5 September 2023
A clear presentation of how anyone, no matter what they've done, can receive forgiveness from God. The characters of the pastor and his two daughters were excellent in their corresponding roles. Like any hostage situation, there was a lot of tension and uncertainty which was conveyed well in the film.

Jenn Gotzon delivered an emotionally riveting performance as Elizabeth.

Kevin Sorbo (Lieutenant Morgan) and Reegus Flenory (Officer Mike Rose) played their supporting roles well as law enforcement officers.

Casey Fuller portrayed a conflicted man haunted by his life choices.

Although there is always room for improvements in any film (even the big budget ones) overall this was a movie that I would certainly recommend.
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1/10
Typical b movie made by religious extremists
carolynmoon-3607129 August 2021
Let's start out by stating the obvious: it has Kevin Sorbo, so you KNOW it's going to be B movie grade acting, he hasn't acted good since Hercules (and even that was horrible). Plus it's a low budget religious film... so getting decent actors isnt on their list... all they care about is shoving their fairytale garbage down your throat.

As for the message: I'm sure the gullible brainwashed low IQ religious kooks will salivate over it saying "how moving" and "inspirational" it was 🙄. The movie blasts you with religious blather and incoherent rationale that is typical of right wing religious extremist thinking.

Seriously, if you're into the b movie right wing religious extremist movie, or you're just looking to turn your brain off for a bit... then this movie is for you. If you're looking for a riveting, edge of your seat masterpiece then put this back in the $1 bin you picked it out of.
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9/10
Forgiven explores what the word really means
dminnick-5139319 February 2023
There are several types of people that will watch a Christian movie like "Forgiven", a person like me that enjoys all types and genres of movies, but also is compelled to watch Christian movies and explore things like redemption and faith. These movies, tell stories in a modern and every day setting and relate to my heart and soul, and help to reinforce my belief in God. The second type of person that would enjoy this movie is someone that is interested in Faith, the principles of the Bible, and the words of Jesus, and explore them in a motion picture presentation. This is very important as an move it like this can deliver a powerful message in an entertaining way. The third type of person, is usually a non-believer, looking for reasons, and ways to scoff at faith, religion & the unseen miracles of God that they don't understand. They will criticize production design, acting, and even costumes, and make up in an effort to tear these types of movies down. What they're really saying is that they are uncomfortable, giving their heart to a story of faith. This movie expertly shows the transformation of exactly this type of person. I hope that everyone that sees this film can see the transformation that can take place in any type of person. It is the textbook definition of. "Forgiven".
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10/10
The TRUTH!
abjrgg-545419 April 2022
A refreshing movie on the TRUTH, the Way and the Life! A very life changing message for people to listen too. I was surprised that it was in a movie on a movie network.
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