God Is a Bullet – Movie Review (2/5)

GOD IS A BULLET is a new thriller with a storyline about a satanic cult. Based on a true story and with a runtime of 2 hours and 35 minutes. An interesting concept, but not a good movie. Read our full God Is a Bullet movie review here!

GOD IS A BULLET is a thriller coming to theaters first and a digital release a few weeks later. With a runtime of 2 hours and 35 minutes, there is plenty of time to tell this story which is based on a true story.

On paper, this movie has everything going for it; an intriguing concept, a wonderful cast, and a long runtime to make room for all the characters. However, the result is messy. To put it mildly. The story about a satanic cult is grossly under-examined as they come across as mediocre gangsters.

Yeah, I was quite disappointed with this one. However, horror fans are bound to love the very bloody revenge scenes along the way.

Continue reading our God Is a Bullet movie review below. Find it in theaters from June 23, 2023 (digital release is July 11, 2023).

Not really a story about a satanic cult

Let’s just get one thing straight here: The core story in God Is a Bullet isn’t really about a satanic cult. Instead, it’s a group of wannabe gangsters who hide behind anything that can even resemble giving them a personality.

Also, those in power are using these gangsters and not realizing when the gangsters stop needing those in power.

In the movie, we follow Detective Bob Hightower (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). When he isn’t able to get a hold of his teenage daughter or his ex-wife, he goes to their house with his former father-in-law.

There he finds his ex-wife and her new husband murdered and his daughter kidnapped. All signs point to this being the work of some kind of satanic cult. And, admittedly, it is a brutal crime scene.

However, that isn’t really the point. This definitely is not about the victims, but rather setting up Bob on his hero arc. In a way that seems very much out of a 1980 or 1990s movie.

With the help of a young woman, Case Hardin (Maika Monroe), who escaped the cult, Bob goes after the cult to get his daughter back. That’s the point anyway, but getting there seems to take forever as infiltrating it himself seems more important than getting his daughter out ASAP.

It’s all about the hero’s arc

Before they ever get to the satanic cult – as stated above, it takes a while to get there – Bob and Case find The Ferryman (Jamie Foxx) who helps them get ready. Also, he seems to understand that Case has a score to settle with the maniacal cult leader (Karl Glusman).

If only the story had actually focused on this story rather than being all about the “hero”, this could’ve been an amazing movie.

As stated by filmmaker Nick Cassavetes himself “It’s tough, violent, has two flawed and fantastic characters, and absolutely pulls no punches”. While it’s true that it is very violent, it’s even more true that it’s all about these two characters.

Which in turn translates into two things; It’s not really about the satanic cult and it certainly isn’t about the daughter being held captive and forced into prostitution by said cult.

And that is extremely weird. I kept waiting for the story to shift its focus away from Bob (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) or Case (Maika Monroe), but it never happened. I love these two actors, but their characters together are not what makes this movie interesting.

In fact, quite the opposite, by the time we get to the all-too-predictable end.

Also, I should mention that other characters are portrayed by amazing actors. What their roles are in the greater picture is muddy at best. But again, the actors deliver solid performances. They include January Jones, Jonathan Tucker, and Brendan Sexton III.

Watch God Is a Bullet in movie theaters – later on demand

Nick Cassavetes is both the writer and director of God Is A Bullet. It’s a story that is inspired by true events and based on the best-selling novel “God Is A Bullet” written by Boston Teran. Any time a story is about a satanic cult and trying to save someone from it, I’m there for it.

However, that really isn’t what this movie is. Instead, it’s a jumbled compilation of scenes with intriguing characters that either relate and communicate with one another or don’t. Weirdly, I enjoyed all the actors in this movie, so I can’t falter the casting or the work of the actors.

I loved the scenes with Maika Monroe, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, and Jamie Foxx in particular.

The dialogue, at times, and the storyline overall, was just very heavy-handed. And the ending? Well, it certainly has nothing to do with the satanic cult or the daughter that needed saving. I can say that much without spoiling it for you. Besides, you’ll see it coming a mile away.

God Is a Bullet is out in wide release in US theaters on June 23, 2023. This will expand to a digital release in the US on July 11, 2023.

Details

Director: Nick Cassavetes
Script: Nick Cassavetes
Cast: Maika Monroe, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Karl Glusman, January Jones, Paul Johansson, David Thornton, Jamie Foxx