Charlie Shepard is a modern day faith healer. Living hand to mouth with his young son and wife Rebecca, Charlie ekes out a meager living from his ministry in a small Alaskan town. His marriage is failing and an old drinking habit has come back to haunt him and that makes things even worse in his life. Then, just when you thought it couldn't get much worse, Shepard's family is brutally murdered for what seems to be no reason at all.
Six months later, Charlie has abandoned his former life and the house his family lived in. Now he moves through his days' slow existence more like a ghost than a man.
"A Movie In Search of Redemption" Godspeed is probably best described as a movie in search of redemption. Not only do we follow a storyline of redemption in the movie, but at times Godspeed drops in some inappropriate moments that just don't fit with the overall flow. As a result, the scriptwriters seem to be searching for some sort of redemption of their own. While it's easy to forgive an independent film for poor acting, I have a low tolerance for an independent film that feels the need to trash up language and a scene or two, just for the sake of tossing in a string of "f-bombs" or unneeded sex scenes. As a result I say "shame" on the writers of Godspeed for the inclusion of the out-of-place "f-bombs" and the whole bedroom "sexual assault" scene.
They simply were not needed and added nothing to an otherwise brilliant script!
"A Captivating Storyline & Great Film Scenery" This brings me to the storyline and script. Godspeed is a fascinating look at life in the face of grief and what can be a very cruel world. There were even some surprises and plot twists tossed in along the way too! Without spoiling the movie, I must admit I was on the totally wrong track as to whom I thought the killer was until well into the movie! While I said a "shame on you" to the writers for trashing up portions of the movie, I have to applaud Cory Knauf and Robert Saitzyk for throwing an incredible curve ball in this whodunit.
When you can make me say - "Wow! I didn't see that one coming!" - You've made a huge accomplishment.
Godspeed won the Exceptional Artistic Achievement Award in the 2009 CineVegas Film Festival. The award is well deserved. In a Hollywood landscape of computer generated graphics, I must say I was very impressed with the real life filming of the Alaskan landscape. While I initially thought some of the scenery shots were tossed in as padding, I quickly discovered how the beautiful scenery serves as a stark contrast of beauty vs. tragedy in the overall feel of the movie.
Last, but certainly not least, lets talk acting in Godspeed.
While Joseph McKelheer plays an admirable Charlie Shepard, Courtney Halverson who narrates and plays the character of Sarah Roberts really shines and steals every scene she's in. She's a stellar actress and one I hope to see on the big screen in a big way in the future. While it's somewhat of a bit part, it was also nice to see Ed Lauter of The Longest Yard and Seabiscuit fame playing the role of a Fish and Game officer.
All in all, I did enjoy the creativity, suspense, storyline and great scenery shots found in Godspeed.
That's not to say Godspeed should be ignored as an independent movie. Aside from what I've described above as the good points, I also really liked the bracket effect of setting the movie up, and then ending the movie with a flashback to the earlier scene.
Cautiously enjoy the show! Dr. Rus
