God Is a Bullet Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

God Is a Bullet Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 17, 2023

Nick Cassavetes, the director of mild sauce movies like “The Notebook” and “The Other Woman,” looks to get dark and mean with “God Is a Bullet.” He handles an adaptation of Boston Teran’s 1999 novel, which presents a bleak study of danger involving a father on the hunt to retrieve his kidnapped daughter from the clutches of a Satanic cult. It’s an epic story handed an epic length by the production, with the picture running 155 minutes, which proves to be more time than Cassavetes really needs to explore this tale. He’s after an extended appreciation of pain and suffering, and that’s all “God Is a Bullet” really is, taking viewers willing to put in the time to the worst areas of the human experience. There’s some exploitation, but nothing major. There’s a pass at emotion, but it doesn’t take. What’s left is a seemingly endless revenge story brought to life by limited actors, while the helmer’s obsession with bodily harm wears out its welcome quickly.

Bob (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is a small-town police officer managing a post-divorce life. It’s Christmas, and he’s trying to remain in contact with his daughter, Gabi (Chloe Guy), but his ultimate horror is soon realized when he pays a visit to his ex-wife’s house, discovering a murder scene, while Gabi is nowhere to be found. Spotting the story in a newspaper, Case (Maika Monroe) comes forward with information, revealing herself to be a former member of the Left Handed Path, with the Satanic cult running a system of kidnappings and ritual killings, focusing on young girls. Case identifies the crime, inspiring Bob to follow the clues and hope for a rescue. The father turns to the stranger for help, as Case is in an unusual position, willing to lead Bob into the darkness of the cult, hoping to save Gabi and confront her own issues with leader Cyrus (Karl Glusman), a ruthless man looking to destroy the runaway.

“God Is a Bullet” is never far from a depiction of agony, getting things going with the kidnapping of Gabi, who’s taken by the Left Handed Path. They’re a collection of heavily tattooed, color-coordinated goons who live to terrorize people, and Cassavetes sets the tone of the feature with this opening display of sexual assault and murder, committed by cult members who delight in violence. Bob is left with the aftermath of such a loss, learning about Gabi’s disappearance and the arrival of Case, who’s looking to help with her specific insight into the vicious group. A revenge story takes shape in “God Is a Bullet,” with Bob shedding some of his timidity to join Case on a march to the dark side, accepting a tattoo makeover (though, amusingly, this evil branding doesn’t really matter in the story) and a plan for the pair to make their way to Cyrus.

There’s a B-movie tone to “God Is a Bullet,” but Cassavetes takes the picture very seriously. Characters share philosophical thoughts and trade leathery lines, and Case is dealing with substantial pain, having lived through the experience of submission Gabi is currently receiving, if she’s even alive. An odyssey should begin for Bob and Case, but the writing tries to cover a lot more than a father’s drive to save his daughter. Subplots start to form, including one involving Maureen (January Jones), who’s married to Bob’s bullying boss, John (Paul Johansson), with their verbally and physically abusive relationship followed for some time, and the pair is joined by Bob’s father-in-law, Arthur (David Thornton). “God Is a Bullet” tries to replace cult happenings with material concerning a controversial land deal, exposing Cassavetes’s adaptation challenges, as he tries to pack in the width of the original novel without paying full attention to the needs of the film. Extra layers of corruption and supporting characters contribute to the extended run time, which does more to fatigue viewers than welcome them into an epic study of dark forces dealing with western-style conflicts.

God Is a Bullet Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation deals with the moodier look of "God Is a Bullet," with the somber tone of the endeavor reflected in its darker cinematography, including plenty of evening activity and limited lighting. Colors remain consistent, exploring the dark green and gray ways of cult costuming. More potent hues arrive with splashes of blood red and blue wig wear. Skin tones are natural. Desertscapes are vivid. Detail explores skin surfaces and tattoo designs, which are plentiful over the run time. Clothing is fibrous, highlighting tattered outfits. Exteriors are deep, exploring the desolate locations. Delineation is satisfactory. The version of "God Is a Bullet" presented on this release runs 155:49.

God Is a Bullet Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix mostly leads with dialogue exchanges. Voices are crisp and performance choices are appreciable. Scoring supports with strong instrumentation, and soundtrack selections retain their intended influence. Surrounds help to push out music and deal with mild atmospherics. Low-end isn't too pronounced, mostly perking up with heavy violence and a fireworks show. Sound effects are snappy, with gun fire common. Some mild panning effects keep things interesting.

God Is a Bullet Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Behind the Scenes (14:27, HD) is a look at the making of "God Is a Bullet," featuring interviews with producer Michael Mendelsohn, executive producer Paul Johansson, and actors Chloe Guy, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Jonathan Tucker, January Jones, Jamie Foxx, Brendan Sexton III, Karl Glusman, David Thornton, Gina Cassavetes, Kola Olasiji, Lindsay Hanzl, and Garrett Wareing. The feature is quickly identified as a "labor of love" for director Nick Cassavetes, who worked for many years on the adaptation, finally receiving a chance to make the movie when Mendelsohn showed interest. Love for Cassavetes is shared, with the interviewees praising his collaborative approach and attention to detail. Makeup demands are covered, with an enormous amount of time required to put the tattoos on the cast, requiring special patience from the performers. Such extreme looks contributed to performances, and thoughts on such inspiration are provided. Some talk of locations is supplied, and plenty of praise is offered to the cast and crew for their hard work. Amusingly, all of these interviews are captured on-set (leaving no room for post-mortem thoughts), with the gang in full tattoos and bloodiness, providing an interesting contrast to their cheery EPK-style praise for anything and everything.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included on this release.

God Is a Bullet Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"God Is a Bullet" is nihilistic, aiming to be deep with drained characters and their psycho adversaries, but the feature doesn't build to anything profound. Cassavetes can't let go of some dismal ideas, including a spark of attraction between Bob and Case, and the picture only snaps to life during its weirder moments, including Bob's battle with a rattlesnake in his truck. The Left Handed Path is brought to life with pure overacting, turning them into cartoon villains instead of something sinister, but performances are generally weak, forcing Cassavetes to turn to extreme violence to capture viewer attention. Even shock value doesn't land, with CGI gore poorly rendered. "God Is a Bullet" doesn't build to any kind of sensitivity or suspense, it's just a long haul to the middle of nowhere. Cassavetes's job is to find a way to keep viewers involved in the story as it visits some heinous places. All he does is revel in such despair, making audience involvement extraordinarily difficult in a movie that lives to explore brutality in increasingly artless ways.