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Studio: Angel Studios
Release Date: 11/14/2023
Rating: PG-13
Film Grade: B+
The Story: The movie opens in Honduras with a young girl joyfully singing in her bedroom, attracting a talent scout who convinces the girl’s father that she may have the natural gifts to be a star. Oh, and her little brother is adorable as well. Both could be in the entertainment business, with the right coaching.
Dad is given directions for an annual audition and drops the two kids off at an business suite that doubles as a studio. Sorry, no stage fathers allowed, he’ll have to come back later to pick them up. He returns at the appointed time only to find no sign of his children or the talent agency; the building is empty.
Cut to Tim Ballard, a Homeland Security agent assigned to hunting down child-trafficking and exploitation rings. As they’re packing up after their most recent bust, Ballard and a fellow agent discuss the job and how they’re good at locking up pedophiles, but what about the victims? Are they only doing part of the job?
This idea burrows itself in Ballard’s brain and leads him to actions that wouldn’t have normally occurred to him.
My Take: This was one of the major box office surprises of the summer. Sure, it didn’t touch the total box office of Barbie or Oppenheimer, but it did bring in over $184M domestically on a modest $14.5M budget and earned another $63M overseas. An incredible return percentage for any film.
I had heard some good things about the movie but went into it knowing little more than it was roughly based on a true story about child trafficking, released by a studio known for faith films, and starred Jim Caviezel. Would it be preachy, exploitive, or hokey? Well, I’m pleased to report it’s none of those things.
Writer/Director Alejandro Monteverde has crafted a movie that takes an extremely sensitive subject and injects a level of humanity that is touching and affecting. There were moments in the movie where I actually got chills, a rather noteworthy reaction these days. Caviezel plays Ballard as a stoic man that does his job effectively, but this latest case lights a fire in him that pushes him into actions he’s never considered before. You can see the change in his eyes and face as he feels the realization coming over him.
The rest of the cast is good, really good. Bill Camp turns in a memorable performance as a shady actor who’s had a change of heart. Two of the other standouts are the primary kids, who both radiate childhood innocence. It makes their enslavement all the more tragic and horrifying. Thankfully, that part of the story is left offscreen; just the hint of it is more than enough to convey the horror of what they are forced to endure.
About the message: There’s no doubt that the movie has a point of view, but it never veers into the pedantic. There’s a bit of exposition that’s actually worked well into the script as Ballard uses facts to try and convince another character just what’s at stake. I didn’t spot any political messaging in the movie at all. The closest you might find is just a scene showing how a top-heavy, leaden bureaucracy can stifle the right actions.
Regarding the religious aspect, it’s there but not in-your-face. Other than a biblical quote and a few references to God (one in a character’s surprising back story), it’s not a significant aspect of the movie. One simply doesn’t need to be religious to consider human trafficking and crimes against children to be evil acts. The only message of the story is to let people know how prevalent and lucrative this black market is, and that it’s growing.
The only knock I have against the movie is that the way the plans are laid out and how the third act of the movie unfolds. Likely pared down to save on run time, it comes together a bit too hastily, and could have used a more development.
Video: The location shooting really shines in this movie. Bright, natural colors and tons of contrast are showcased throughout. The Blu-ray looks great, and there’s a case to be made that it deserves a 4K release, as there are scenes that would benefit with HDR.
There are subtitles for some of the character’s native language and of the environment. If you have a scope screen take a minute to adjust the subtitle placement if your player has the capability. You’ll want to shift it a full line up to avoid missing half of the words. That works for dialog, but there’s at least one scene that has subtitles at the top of the screen, translating a building’s signage. I don’t think that’s particularly important, as the gist of the scene still comes through, and the words are just “Tires” and “Notary.”
Audio: The disc comes with a simple 5.1 Dolby mix. There isn’t a lot in the way of spatial cues although there are some environmental effects; dialog is crisp and clear. There are some rousing songs and orchestrations as part of the musical soundtrack and a haunting children’s chorus frequently fills the room. A few scenes will wake up your subwoofer, but this is more of an adequate mix than a standout title.
Special Features: None. And I mean none. Not even a director’s commentary track. It’s a shame, as there’s a built-in audience for more information after just having watched the movie. There’s surveillance and raid footage worked into the movie, it would have just been natural to include a documentary or even just a discussion about it, but no go. A real lost opportunity to further education about the topic for anyone interested.
Final Verdict: Billed as an action film about child trafficking, it’s not action heavy. Instead, it spends more time on characters, situations, stealth, and planning. Think more along the lines of The Infiltrator or American Hustle rather than Rambo or Commando.
Production values are solid. One would be hard pressed to tell that the budget was tiny compared to most modern films.
The result is an emotionally engaging, well-produced film that doesn’t cross the line into exploitation, but effectively portrays part of the human condition that most of us don’t even want to contemplate.
I’ll definitely be adding this one to our collection. Even if I’m not feeling an urgent need to rewatch it at this point, I will eventually, and my wife gave it an even higher rating. If you’re hesitant to spend money on it before having viewed it, the movie is supposed to show up as part of Amazon Prime’s service starting on 12/26/23.
Highly recommended.
Fun Fact: Originally produced by 21st Century Fox, the movie languished on the shelf after the studio’s sale to Disney. Ironically, the film ended up whipping Disney’s much pricier Indiana Jones movie at the domestic box office.
https://youtu.be/hyyyKcfJRGQ
My Review System:
JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
Elite Screens Sable Frame B2 117” Width with Infinitely Variable Height
Monolith by Monoprice HTP-1 16 Channel Processor with Dirac Live
Monolith by Monoprice 7x200 Watts Amp
Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts + 6x100 Watts Amp
JBL Studio 590 for Left, Center, Right, Wides, and Rears
JBL Studio 580 for Side Surrounds
JBL Studio SCS 8 for Tops
JTR Captivator 1400 Subwoofer X 4
Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
NVIDIA Shield Android TV - 4K
Xbox One X
HTPC Running madVR (work in progress)
Remote: URC MX-780
Mini DSP 2X4 HD controlling all subwoofers
APC S15 Power Conditioner with Battery Backup