The stories of the saints teach us how to live authentic lives, what it means to reject hate for love, and how we all struggle for redemption. Some saint stories clearly make for good cinema all on their own. Other saint stories have barely dented our consciousness, and these days, most film studios outside the faith-based sector don’t bother to tell them at all.
That is what makes the upcoming film Moses the Black such an interesting event, along with its unique narrative framing. Saint Moses of Ethiopia served as a monk and abbot in the fourth century, transforming his life by accepting Christ after a life of bloody criminal activity. Moses the Black, recognized as a saint in the Orthodox and Catholic churches, converted after fleeing to a monastery after a career of murder, terror, and mayhem. He struggled in faith, finding it difficult to leave his life of criminality on one hand and despairing at redemption for it on the other.
Rather than take that story on directly, however, rapper Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson teamed up with Simeon Faith, the Nick Mirkopoulos Cinematic Fund, and Fathom Entertainment to exec-produce a film that sets the redemption question in a modern, violent setting. It mainly follows the recently released gang member Malik (Omar Epps) and his return to Chicago, seeking revenge for the murder of his mentor and partner Sayeed. His crew wants revenge, but Malik’s grandmother introduces him to the story of St. Moses the Black, whose life parallels Malik’s and is shown in flashbacks throughout the film. Everything escalates in Malik’s life – a gang war, potential betrayal, and Malik’s growing sense that he yearns for redemption, even if it comes in the harsh terms of the life he’s led.
Moses the Black follows that focus to deliver a gritty, violent story that parallels elements of St. Moses’ own. That makes it very different from most saint stories, even those that include violence as part of the story. The excellent film Paul the Apostle of Christ, for example, told a more straightforward story about Paul’s final days in Rome during Nero’s persecution, with the violence of that era recreated. Moses the Black gives viewers a high level of realistic violence in present-day Chicago, which makes this film more of a gangster film with a redemptive subplot than the other way around. If it had a rating, which it doesn’t at present, it would undoubtedly be an R.
That may make this film difficult for some viewers. Adding to the difficulties are a storyline that is at times hard to follow, and dialogue that is occasionally impenetrable. Malik’s transformative arc is (realistically) inconsistent, reflecting the difficulty he has in dealing with his own passions, as did St. Moses. At times, the flashbacks to Malik’s youth are difficult to distinguish from present day, and the flashbacks to St. Moses are often cryptic. We don’t learn much from them, but an Orthodox priest and Malik’s grandmother provide the necessary background on the saint to make it work.
The performances and direction (Man of God producer Yelena Popovic in her first effort) are effective and hit the right notes without being too cliché-driven. Epps gives us a soulful look at a man exhausted by his sins, yet unable to find his way out of them. Corey Hendrix as Malik’s best friend Mike is especially good, as is Chukwudi Iwuji as the historical St. Moses. Cliff Chamberlain slips the chain a little too much as a demonic undercover cop, but Kierra Bunch does a nice job giving us some emotional resonance as Malik’s love interest in a subplot that feels underdeveloped. The parallels to the life of the saint are at times a bit difficult to get, but that becomes much less of a problem in the second half of the film, and the surprising and unconventional ending is a better payoff than one would think in the context of St. Moses’ story – even if the set-up for it feels a little contrived.
In other words, this is not a perfect film. However, the film still offers viewers a unique look at redemption, especially for its focus on the extremes of violence, loyalty, and faith. Even where the film doesn’t entirely succeed, there is value in the freshness of the approach, not to mention its value in evangelizing to those in need. The involvement of rappers like 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa, and Quavo, along with the resources of Jackson’s new production company, speaks to the need to tell this story in this particular context while presenting that context honestly in a way that appeals to the intended audience.
As critics and consumers, we often complain that Hollywood tells the same stories over and over again rather than think creatively. That same criticism could be applied to the faith-film genre. It would be easy to tell the story of St. Moses the Black as a straightforward biopic, akin to Paul the Apostle of Christ, and maybe someone will eventually make that movie. His story certainly could tell about redemption from even the most evil of sins. Moses the Black has the courage to tell that story differently, in a way that appeals to those living that life now by placing the moral crisis in our own time, where it matters most.
It may not always land, but Moses the Black makes it worth watching simply for the effort. It’s worth supporting so that we can incentivize more risk-taking in films that tell these stories in new and creative ways. Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson and Yelena Popovic have gotten off to a good start, and hopefully, a success here will bring more films that tell important stories in relatable ways. It certainly beats the 43rd iteration of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, at least for a couple of hours.
Moses the Black opens on January 30th. You can buy tickets and find out more information at the Fathom Entertainment website.
On the Hot Air scale, Moses the Black gets a 5, qualified by the above:
- 5 – Full price ticket
- 4 – Matinee only
- 3 – Wait for Blu-Ray/DVD/PPV rental or purchase
- 2 – Watch it when it hits Netflix/cable
- 1 – Avoid at all costs
Moses the Black would get an R rating for very good reasons. It has graphic violence, bad language, and enough emotional turbulence that children and teens probably shouldn’t see the film. For those too young to see this film, may I suggest this YouTube video on Saint Moses himself. His redemption story may be lesser known than that of other saints such as Augustine, but it is no less inspirational.
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