Wer`s glaubt, wird selig - Salvation Boulevard - DVD

Film: Pastor Dan Day (Pierce Brosnan) has done it: due to his charismatic nature, more people in his small town go to church again. Even incorrigible sinners, like Greatful Dead fan Carl (Greg Kinnear), who is not entirely averse to drugs, have been able to lead Pastor Dan back to the path of virtue. With his wife Gwen (Jennifer Connelly) by his side, Carl has become the figurehead of his congregation for the clergyman. But then Carl witnesses an unbelievable crime: famed atheist Dr. Paul Blaylock (Ed Harris), who enjoys public confrontations with Pastor Dan, is shot - by none other than Dan Day himself. While Blaylock lies in a coma and struggles to survive, Pastor Dan seems to want to place the blame on Carl. He now tries to prove his innocence with the help of his girlfriend from Greatful Dead days, security guard Honey Foster (Marisa Tomei). But since the truth must never come to light, this proves to be more difficult and dangerous than first assumed...

He who`s believed shall be blessed is based on the novel Salvation Boulevard by Larry Beinhart, who already proved a knack for biting and intelligent satire with Wag the Dog. With a top-class ensemble of actors, George Ratliff (Joshua) has tried to turn the novel into a no less biting film comedy. He seems to have succeeded in the endeavor, at least initially. The initial discussion between Father Dan and Dr. Blaylock - wonderfully quirky embodied by Ed Harris - is an intelligently written examination of the sense or nonsense of faith and religion. And the more intimate and leaden confrontation between the two men that follows, and Carl's soon-to-be realization that the man of God is trying to blame him for shooting Blaylock in a way that is so not Christian, is still full of bite. And supporting characters like Carl's father-in-law, played by Ciarán Hinds, who is desperate to open a movie theater that only plays religious films, and comedian Jim Gaffigan as the pastor's somewhat too-loyal sidekick make for some really good and even amusing moments in terms of acting.

Unfortunately, especially in the second half, the bite is significantly loosened by the ever-increasing chaos. Ratliff seems too concerned with not wanting to offend anyone's beliefs that he simply gives away much of the opportunity provided by the story and cast. Moreover, the plot increasingly loses its straight lines and threatens to descend into rather unfunny chaos. This is a pity, because especially the performances of Pierce Brosnan and Ed Harris make clear how good the film could have been, if George Ratliff had dared to approach the subject a little more courageously and irreverently and had kept the humor a little more subtle, especially in the second half.

Nevertheless, Who`s Believe, Will Be Blessed has to offer one aspect in particular, which makes the comedy worth seeing despite its weaknesses: the actors. It`s just fun to watch the wonderful ensemble play against the weakening script with obvious glee. Whether it's Jennifer Connelly as a wife blinded by her faith who believes her husband is guilty rather than imagining Pastor Dan shooting a man. Or Marisa Tomei as a somewhat too good-humored lady from campus security, or even Greg Kinnear as the newest sheep in Pastor Dan's flock, they all, alongside Pierce Brosnan and Ed Harris, successfully prevent the film from disappearing into irrelevance after its successful opening. So, on balance, Who`s Believe, Will Be Blessed is quite an entertaining satire, which, however, clearly falls short of its potential and could have been a lot more biting. Nevertheless, the film shot with a low budget in a few weeks but can still be rated as well worth seeing.

Picture + Sound: Since only a data-reduced press sample was available for testing, no rating can be given here about the final image and sound quality.

Extras: Bonus material has the DVD not to offer.

Conclusion: Who`s believing, will be blessed is a top-class cast satire, which starts promising, but despite some nice ideas and good actors at the end a little sinks into uncontrolled chaos. A little more bite and a clearer structure would have definitely done the comedy good. So the whole thing is just nice entertainment, which is still worth watching because of the good actors, but especially because of Pierce Brosnan and Ed Harris

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp