Plot Summary
Police officer Mac McDonald has big plans for his future career, but his entire life crashed down the day that his son was killed in an accident involving racial violence and drugs. With his life in a tailspin, Mac’s family and work environment feel the effects of his newfound anger towards the world. But he especially directs his anger at African-American criminals, further contributing to the racial divide in the community. However, when Mac is paired up with Sam Wright, a popular African American police officer and part-time pastor, he is reluctantly forced to take a look at the basis for his racial hatred—is he angry at African-Americans or at God?
Production Quality (1.5 points)
At first glance, it seems like The Grace Card had time and money spent on its production. The video is clear and the sound quality is pretty good. The musical score is intriguing, but there are still some minor issues that plague the film. The camera work is good in some parts, but not good in other parts. Some of the action scenes are a bit shaky. The sound quality of some of the action scenes is also inconsistent. Lighting is good in some scenes, but not in others. The sets and locations are slightly limited. But at the same time, some scenes and elements of production seem well constructed. Overall, the production quality comes out as average due to inconsistency.
Plot and Storyline Quality (2 points)
This is an excellent topic to discuss via a Christian movie—the racial divide in most American cities combined with tense relations between police and racial minorities. From the beginning, it is unfortunately obvious where the plot is going to go, but at least the journey is interesting. The Grace Card mostly stays away from stereotypes, an important factor in this type of film, but some of the characters are a bit too obvious. The dialogue is mostly thought-provoking and balances out the action sequences. However, it seems like these characters could have been deeper than they were. Also, there are some seemingly unnecessary parts in the plot, including scenes in which it is difficult to tell what’s going on. Overall, the storyline is above average, but once again, little issues keep it from being all that it could be.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
The acting in The Grace Card is neither obviously great nor obviously bad. Each actor and actress seems to be cast into their respective roles very well. There is obviously cast diversity. Yet it feels like these actors and actresses could be more than they are in this film. Their potential needed to be drawn out more. Therefore, the ultimate outcome of this movie is average.
Conclusion
The Grace Card is a great start for a new film making team. It exhibits an important issue that needs to be tackled and confronted in every area of Christian culture. But we could not help but watch The Grace Card and wish for something more. Nonetheless, it is definitely something to build off of for the future.
Final Rating: 5 out of 10 points
Box Office Revolution 