God's Army (film)
Encyclopedia
God's Army is a 2000 film
. It was written
, directed by and features Richard Dutcher
. It is an independent film and was financed by private investors.
missionaries
as they struggle with their work and, almost inevitably, their faith
. The movie focuses on a pair of missionaries, Elder Allen (Brown) and Elder Dalton (Dutcher) serving as missionaries in Los Angeles, California
("Elder" is an office in the Priesthood and a title LDS missionaries use while serving missions). Dalton is a seasoned missionary and Allen is a new recruit paired with Dalton to be trained.
Allen questions his reason for being on a mission. He is a somewhat faithful member of the church, but his father was excommunicated
from the church and his mother doesn't attend anymore.
Dalton proves to be a demanding taskmaster and he demands much of Allen—almost too much in Allen's eyes. Allen teeters on the brink of leaving his two-year mission almost as soon as it begins. Allen witnesses another missionary lose his faith and abandon his own mission. Allen changes his mind as he finds the sacrifices others have made to be on a mission, such as ostricization from family. His own companion, Elder Dalton, dropped out of medical school to serve a mission and is fighting a losing battle with brain cancer. After a trial of his faith and some earnest soul searching, Allen finds untapped courage and embraces his work as a messenger of God
.
for special engagements. It was primarily intended for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("Mormon" or LDS) audiences, but non-LDS viewers were also welcome to showings. The film was well received by its target LDS audience but was met with some confusion by non-LDS viewers.
Many professional critics were pleased at Dutcher's willingness to address some of the more sensitive issues of the LDS Church, such as their past denial to allow black members into the LDS priesthood. They also enjoyed the look into missionaries' struggles and the work they face. Despite this, some felt the film was too apologetic.
The film's box office sales ranked 22nd all-time among Christian films.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
. It was written
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, directed by and features Richard Dutcher
Richard Dutcher
Richard Alan Dutcher is an American independent filmmaker who produces, writes, directs, edits, and frequently stars in his films. Well known among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for his early Mormon-themed productions, Dutcher has been called “The Father of Mormon...
. It is an independent film and was financed by private investors.
Main cast
- Matthew A. Brown as Elder Allen
- Richard DutcherRichard DutcherRichard Alan Dutcher is an American independent filmmaker who produces, writes, directs, edits, and frequently stars in his films. Well known among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for his early Mormon-themed productions, Dutcher has been called “The Father of Mormon...
as Elder Dalton - Jacque Gray as Sister Fronk
- DeSean Terry as Elder Banks
- Michael Buster as Elder Kinegar
- Luis Robledo as Elder Sandoval "the Lamanite"
- Jeff Kelly as Elder Mangum
- John Pentecost as President Beecroft
- Lynne Carr as Sister Beecroft
Story
God's Army is about MormonMormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
missionaries
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
as they struggle with their work and, almost inevitably, their faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
. The movie focuses on a pair of missionaries, Elder Allen (Brown) and Elder Dalton (Dutcher) serving as missionaries in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
("Elder" is an office in the Priesthood and a title LDS missionaries use while serving missions). Dalton is a seasoned missionary and Allen is a new recruit paired with Dalton to be trained.
Allen questions his reason for being on a mission. He is a somewhat faithful member of the church, but his father was excommunicated
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
from the church and his mother doesn't attend anymore.
Dalton proves to be a demanding taskmaster and he demands much of Allen—almost too much in Allen's eyes. Allen teeters on the brink of leaving his two-year mission almost as soon as it begins. Allen witnesses another missionary lose his faith and abandon his own mission. Allen changes his mind as he finds the sacrifices others have made to be on a mission, such as ostricization from family. His own companion, Elder Dalton, dropped out of medical school to serve a mission and is fighting a losing battle with brain cancer. After a trial of his faith and some earnest soul searching, Allen finds untapped courage and embraces his work as a messenger of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
.
Reception
This movie was taken on a tour of North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
for special engagements. It was primarily intended for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("Mormon" or LDS) audiences, but non-LDS viewers were also welcome to showings. The film was well received by its target LDS audience but was met with some confusion by non-LDS viewers.
Many professional critics were pleased at Dutcher's willingness to address some of the more sensitive issues of the LDS Church, such as their past denial to allow black members into the LDS priesthood. They also enjoyed the look into missionaries' struggles and the work they face. Despite this, some felt the film was too apologetic.
The film's box office sales ranked 22nd all-time among Christian films.
External links
- Official God's Army website
- Zion Films — Official website