Once the film turns into a paranoid home-invasion thriller, there’s no ambiguity left to the tale.
Under the Banner of Heaven ambitiously grapples with the struggle to attain personal agency in the crushing course of history.
The film succumbs to its main character’s didacticism: His perceived humility masks a smug, Manichean worldview.
The stark atmosphere and the intimate focus on character drama keeps the action on a muted emotional keel.
Like its obvious inspirations, The Mighty Ducks and Cool Runnings, Crooked Arrows is an easily digestible family entertainment.
Breaking Dawn offers precious few returns, and it continually punishes all who curb their cynicism for even a split second.
This is a rare breed of reality-based fiction: It tells you it’s “based on a true story” and you may actually believe it.