GOD IS A BULLET (2023)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Maika Monroe
Grime has been missed.
No matter the genre (or sub-genre) these days, everything is too neat and clean. Color grading things to be darker or grayer doesn’t actually make anything feel as dirty as films once felt. Movies like CUTTER’S WAY, HARDCORE, CRUISING, THE SALTON SEA, 8MM, SPARTAN, and more that found a protagonist wading into a shadowy world of deviants and violence. Those titles had a…well, film to them; a layer of unseemly feelings that portrayed the descent into a realm rarely seen. Sure, these underground facets would be heightened and exaggerated, but the point remained that there was always wrong and bad just underneath polite society.
GOD IS A BULLET is a return to those grimier films where the errant knight delves into a seedier world and most likely will not emerge with his armor still shiny and bright. Written and directed by Nick Cassavetes (director of THE NOTEBOOK, JOHN Q, ALPHA DOG…and co-star of THE WRAITH and QUIET COOL), the film is adapted from the book of the same name by Boston Teran and there are times when you can feel that literary influence—in good and bad ways. The good ways are a lyrical essence to the scenes that engage viewers along with a propulsive plot that grows to a terrific crescendo. The bad ways is that some of the sub-plots and side characters are pretty convoluted (and probably fleshed out more in the book) and some of that contributes to feeling the 155 minute runtime. But GOD IS A BULLET rarely feels its length due to some impressive performances and thrilling sequences.
Detective Bob Hightower (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) returns from church to find his ex-wife brutally murdered, her boyfriend tortured and killed, and his daughter missing. The news of the horrific incident spreads across the country and ends up with Case Hardin (Maika Monroe), a former member of a devil-worshipping criminal cult who has since escaped and been reprogrammed. She recognizes the work of her previous family, especially its sadistic leader Cyrus (Karl Glusman), and offers to help the Christian lawman navigate the underworld of criminals and cults to find his daughter. This pursuit may not yield what Hightower hopes, and will cost him much more than he can ever expect, as he bonds with the traumatized Case and delves further into a strange and dark land.
The death cult/gang aspect of GOD IS A BULLET is a great throwback to works like PERDITA DURANGO or RACE WITH THE DEVIL (in fact, a lot of the movie feels like an inverse RACE WITH THE DEVIL). Though the film is allegedly based on a true story (which seems dubious and may be a very loose definition), there are plenty of outsized personas and occurrences that defy reality. But that’s not a bad thing! These aspects, like Jamie Foxx as a tattoo-artist/shaman/badass with a hook for a hand and vitiligo, is a hat on a hat on a hat—but it’s true to the type of world that Cassavetes and company aim to create. Cyrus and his followers (which includes Jonathan Tucker, Ethan Suplee, and Brendan Sexton III) feel like an amalgamation of every villain from anti-drug PSAs and satanic panic concerns who loom larger than life and that makes for an entertaining ride, especially when juxtaposed with the straight-laced Hightower and the world from which he comes.
GOD IS A BULLET is really propelled by the two lead performances, especially Maika Monroe. In a relatively short time, Monroe has become not just a genre staple but a genuine shining star in everything she does. WATCHER, THE GUEST, IT FOLLOWS, and many more titles showcase her range and ability to disappear into various roles. Case (short for “Headcase”) is no exception. She exudes a vulnerability of a lifetime of trauma, but also that barely contained rage that comes with it; she was hurt by the world and wants to hurt it back, but is trying to focus that anger at those responsible. She has good chemistry with Coster-Waldau, except that it eventually feels wrongly juxtaposed.
The vibe between the two for the majority of the film is a father and daughter, a surrogate figure that Hightower can try to protect like he couldn’t his own. She feels cared for in a relationship that she never had for all of her life, a powerful male figure in her world that is looking for her help and not just to use and abuse her. Which is why it’s really jarring when there’s a third act change to this relationship vibe that never quite works. It probably is better constructed in the novel, but in the film it feels like a misread of the situation and a real bungled move that casts an awkward shadow on the duo.
Still, with so much movie (arguably too much), that misstep doesn’t mar GOD IS A BULLET as much as it could. It’s also saved by some gnarly action scenes including a rousing climactic fight that is excellently executed by Cassavetes and crew. The look of the film is dark, but not obscured; DP Kenji Katori uses the fluorescents and neons of the surroundings to create a forgotten hellscape in these bordertowns, but the constant nocturnal setting never feels like it’s obfuscating anything. Meanwhile the daytime shots are wondrous landscapes of desolate lands bursting with a beautiful sadness.
GOD IS A BULLET has plenty of missteps and misfires in its 2 hours and 35 minutes. But every time there’s a clunky choice or the pace of the movie starts to wear a bit, there comes a new sequence fueled by great performances and inventive writing. It’s not the sleazoid express return to grindhouse that such types of films would be in the past, but it is a welcomed rebirth of the grimy crime thriller that explores this blood-drenched underworld. It’s nice to be back to feeling some kind of awful in a truly entertaining way.
