A Christian movie to get your family talking
One of my family’s favorite things to do together is watch movies. Recently we had an opportunity for an early viewing of “The Firing Squad” from Epoch Studios which is opening in theaters on August 2.
Unfortunately my daughter was away with a friend, so she missed it. But my husband, 11-year-old son and I picked up pizza and settled in for a movie night.
I received early access to view “The Firing Squad” in exchange for providing a review and social media posts about it. All opinions, however, are completely my own.
All about “The Firing Squad”
“The Firing Squad” is loosely based on a true story about men who were executed by firing squad in Indonesia on April 29, 2015. People convicted of dealing or running drugs in Indonesia are sentenced to death by firing squad, and that’s exactly the circumstances of the main character named Peter Lone played by James Barrington.
Throughout the movie, we see Lone’s transformation to coming to know God. He heads to his execution with songs of praise.
The movie’s cast includes names and faces of award-winning actors such as Kevin Sorbo and Cuba Gooding, Jr.
The best ages for watching
As a Christian movie, “The Firing Squad” does well with not using bad language or showing graphic violence. Based on the topic, I was slightly concerned it might be too intense for my 11-year-old.
We started the movie night with the idea that we’d stop it if it became too intense and then my husband and I would finish it later.
However, it was well done and was fine for my 11-year-old. I would say, though, that kids under 10 would not be a good fit for this movie.
Great for discussion
Our biggest takeaway as a family came after the movie in our discussions. Along with talking about the movie itself, we discussed other things like Christians who are killed even now solely for their faith.
My son was most struck by Kevin Sorbo’s character in the movie who was a pastor in the prison but also a convicted felon himself. He was convicted of murder. That left my son wanting to know more about his transformation.
Overall, it’s a great movie to talk about the transformative power of Jesus. God changes lives so dramatically and can turn a drug dealer or murderer into a pastor whose impact resounds for years.
Where to watch it
“The Firing Squad” opens in theaters throughout the United States on Aug. 2, 2024. You can find all the details about tickets, including group tickets and some free showings, on the movie’s site.
Looking for other ideas for family fun night? Check out these posts as well:
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