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Countdown: Jerusalem

Countdown: Jerusalem (2009) Movie Poster
USA  •    •  93m  •    •  Directed by: A.F. Silver.  •  Starring: Kim Little, Clint Browning, Russell Reynolds, Mark Hengst, Audrey Latt, April Wade, Spencer Scott, Vivian Brunstein, Danae Nason, Matt Mercer, Cameron Cash, Dean Kreyling, Jose Prendes.  •  Music by: Joseph Trapanese.
        A journalist searches for her daughter as a series of catastrophic disasters push a destabilized society toward the brink of global war.

Trailers:

   Length:  Languages:  Subtitles:
 2:34
 

Review:

Image from: Countdown: Jerusalem (2009)
Image from: Countdown: Jerusalem (2009)
Image from: Countdown: Jerusalem (2009)
Image from: Countdown: Jerusalem (2009)
Image from: Countdown: Jerusalem (2009)
Image from: Countdown: Jerusalem (2009)
Image from: Countdown: Jerusalem (2009)
Image from: Countdown: Jerusalem (2009)
Image from: Countdown: Jerusalem (2009)
If you're expecting to see a film similar to the Left Behind series, you may be relieved when I tell you it isn't. After watching, you more than likely will be disappointed, confused or just plain "what the heck did I just witness" bewildered. I figured this would be another clichéd and cheesy take on the Book of Revelation. I waited for the human cardboard cutouts representing good and evil, the haunting Gregorian chants building into grand crescendos as various plagues assaulted the earth, and the obligatory voice-overs telling me in stern and reverent tones how every scene was depicting a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. None of those things ever showed up in this movie. Left Behind this is not.

Our brave reporter is not interested in digging beneath the headlines of earthquakes, famine, social upheaval and economic collapse to find the diabolical conspiracy responsible for it all. Nor is she embarking on a quest to discover the elusive answers to her hectic and unfulfilled life. She just wants to find her missing daughter. And her frantic search takes her to Jerusalem, now the focal point for the unwinding of the age.

The End Times are certainly in evidence throughout the film, but as a backdrop only. If the plot seems confusing, even non-existent, it's because the plot is not about the coming Armageddon. It is not about following the clues, exposing the imposters or circumventing the events that surely must and will unfold. It's about realizing that the signs signal the end for some but not all. The signs also tell us there is still time to do the only thing we can do to be spared the judgment that fallen humanity deserves.

A great film this is not, but neither is it a particular bad one. It is a film that handles its subject matter in a quirky and non-conventional way. It comes at you from an angle rather than slamming into you head on. The acting is average but does not detract significantly from the film. The dialogue is sparse, but at least I was spared the agony of having the characters repeatedly explain the whole darn story to me through lengthy and unrealistically structured dialogue. The cinematography was pleasing. The locations were usually well shot and added to the overall frenetic feeling of the film. The musical score was good but occasionally overwhelmed some of the scenes. Only one major complaint: I am not all that familiar with the geography of Israel, but what was up with her getting out of the car in the middle of nowhere (a desert) and walking all the way back to her hotel?

All in all, not a bad way to spend 90 minutes. This is not a particularly good Christian "witnessing" film, too much is left unexplained, and there is no obvious central message. But Christians should find this film intriguing, even a little thought provoking.


Review by twa1959 from the Internet Movie Database.