Plot Summary
Sergeant James Buanacore loved his job as a leader on the police force, but when he got caught up in a street fight that ended with a gang member shot to death, he is pressured to retire from his post to mitigate bad publicity. At the same time, tragedy strikes his family and blindsides him, which causes him to lose his faith in God. Thus, James’ brother gets him a job as a baseball coach and criminal justice teacher at a local private Christian school to help him find new meaning in life. But what James finds there is students searching for hope and a corrupt leadership, so he sets out to use his investigative skills to determine whether or not Jesus was a historical figure.
Production Quality (2.5 points)
For a slightly unknown independent Christian film, The Investigator has a surprisingly good production. Video quality is great, but the only issue in this production is the odd camera work that is sometimes employed. Otherwise, audio quality is professional, as is the soundtrack. Sets, locations, and props are well-funded and appropriate. The editing is quite good and is successful in most ways. If it weren’t for the unusual camera usage, this would have been a perfect production. In the end, this is an excellent example of how an independent production can succeed.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1 point)
The Investigator has a lot of interesting ideas and takes big risks in breaching less-discussed topics such as corruption in private Christian schools. However, the story is all over the place and is somewhat disorganized as a lot of ground is attempted to be covered. The circumstances portrayed are realistic and honest, and the characters are actually quite believable and realistic, but the organization of this story is greatly lacking. The creativity here needs some serious honing and better development. Too much time is wasted on sports montages and unrelated scenes. In the end, this is a very unique plot, so it’s a shame it couldn’t have been better. Yet it does show potential for the future.
Acting Quality (2 points)
This is a semi-professional cast, and they post mostly good performances, but emotions tend to be too extreme at times. Line delivery is nearly perfect and it’s evident that acting coaching is present. Only a few minor problems hold this portion back.
Conclusion
There is a lot of good content packed into this film, but there is perhaps too much that is included here. It’s great to deal with the issues of tragedy, corruption, and apologetics, but in this disorganized fashion, it’s difficult to follow. Yet the production and the acting successes show that independent films can be professional if the proper resources and effort are put towards them. Regardless, it should be interesting to see what this creative team comes up with next.
Final Rating: 5.5 out of 10 points
Box Office Revolution 