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!

A must see movie, displays great family values

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

This movie deserves more than 5 stars, if I could give 10 or 15 I wouldn't hesitate one second; it tells a powerful and timely story about the role of the father in the family. Having grown up in a family that had been split by divorce when I was 2 years old I have no remembrance of my parents ever living together. Living first with my mother and her parents and later with my mother and a step-father who resented my very existence I have no memory of a close relationship with a father figure. It would be difficult for me to evaluate what was missing from my life but it did leave a hole which is hard for me to define. The story is about five men, who are fathers in five distinctly different circumstances; four work as deputy sheriffs in Albany, Georgia and one is a carpenter/handyman. The ambience of the movie is very realistic and the viewer immediately feels thrust into the lives of these men as they deal with the challenges their lives present. The movie provides an opportunity to get to know the men and their families and develop a concern for them, their safety, and the personal problems with which they must deal. While there are some really cleverly funny moments, there are also moments of deep emotion which brought tears to my eyes. This is a movie that can touch deeply into the heart of the family in a realistic way and explore areas of fear and hope shared by most families. Three of the five men are supported by a strong Christian faith and demonstrate the sufficiency of their faith when sorely tested by circumstances. The other two are on roads to discovery with different outcomes for each of them. One of the strengths of this movie is the complete naturalness of each of the actors; it feels as if you're watching life in real time and somehow observing the lives of these individuals as they live them. This movie is a treasure for anyone who appreciates the value of the family and the faith centered life. It shows the rewards of faith and the penalties of bad decisions on both the individual and their families. This is one movie that every Christian family should have in their collection. I also recommend it for all who see the family as the foundation for a strong, cohesive society.

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.

loved it

The first of the Kendricks' movies that our family has seen, and it remains one of the best: it will hold the interest and be instructive to kids from 8 or 9 through adulthood. From start to finish, it is loaded with various examples of courageous actions, and includes several other examples of how it's best not to put off good actions today, relying on a tomorrow which might just not arrive. The movies starts off with a bang in a typical Hollywood style action scene depicting strong physical courage, but inserts an unusual twist causing the viewer to reevaluate how s/he may have started judging the protagonist's actions. Then it proceeds at a never before seen pace, presenting a series of other events involving how different kinds of courage are needed. One person is challenged to provide for his family in the face of strong odds. Some face moral dilemmas calling for a new kind of courage; moral courage in the face of peer pressure; keeping their sanity and family together by practicing a quiet resolute courage to face a horrible reality and build from there... We loved this movie so much that we've shown it to our extended families and used it as a model to discuss several themes as they might pertain to daily life. One of the movie's great strengths was also an area where I found my only quibble; the importance of men providing strong male role models for their families. Some men were able to provide good, effective support to their families; some men failed; and some just had to try again, step by step. The quibbles I had with this movie showing a high reliance on formal ritual seemed over the top to me, but were extremely minor, and perhaps some will find them more or less irritating than I did. But taken as a whole, this is one of the best - perhaps THE best family movie ever made. Powerful, exciting, thought provoking, humorous, and filled with topics worth discussing at every level of life.

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.