Released in 2012 and directed by Dean Wright, "For Greater Glory" (subtitled "The True Story of Cristiada") chronicles the Cristeros War in central Mexico, a veritable civil war from 1926-1929 where Catholic citizens had no recourse but to take a bold stand against the atheistic Mexican government, ran by President Calles (Rubén Blades), who sought to stamp out Catholicism by forbidding masses, destroying churches and exiling or murdering priests. Andy Garcia plays the Cristeros general, Enrique Gorostieta, who's initially an atheist, but is eventually inspired by the events. Oscar Isaac and Eduardo Verástegui play his subordinates while Eva Longoria plays his wife. Peter O'Toole is on hand as an aging priest while Mauricio Kuri appears as a boy moved to join the Cristeros. All the main characters are based on real-life people.
While this is a historical war/drama/action movie it could also be designated as a Western, albeit a Mexican Western. But don't expect some of the stereotypical staples of most Westerns, like quick-draw showdowns, saloons, cavalry vs. Indians, saloon girls, stampedes and cattle drives. This is a realistic detailing of the events with quite a bit of action and an occasional eye-rolling dramatic sequence.
Some of the comments by critics are clueless in that they try to argue that the actual situation in Mexico at the time was more complex than the movie shows. Ya think? What else is new? All movies based on historical events try to simplify the situation to make the story palatable to viewers. Critics also argue that the movie's too "one-sided" and some even attempt to defend Calles' tyrannical oppression. Seriously? No matter how you slice it he tried to stamp out a deep-rooted religion in his country through oppression and murder. He actually thought he could rid the populace of Catholicism in a year's time. He was wrong. He also underestimated the Cristeros and was thoroughly humbled.
By 1929 the Federals had 100,000 troops whereas the Cristeros only had half that, and many of them were women. During the three years of fighting the Federals lost 57,000 soldiers while the Cristeros 'only' lost 30,000. Altogether an estimated 250,000 people lost their lives and the same number fled Mexico.
This is a good movie to remind us that "the government" can easily morph into a tyrannical dictator in a moment's notice if the citizenry isn't vigilant. Consider the USA, for example: If Americans keep electing doofus Demoncraps to high office the so-called Supreme Court will eventually have a libertine majority and, faster than you can blink, Christianity and religious freedom would be eradicated overnight. Suddenly it would be a "hate crime" to say such-and-such is a sin and evangelizing would be outlawed. Make no mistake, it could happen in a heartbeat. Remember in 2014 when the city of Houston subpoenaed pastors' sermons as part of a crackdown on preaching against homosexuality?
The movie was based on the 1976 book The Cristero Rebellion, a chronicle of the war written by French historian Jean Meyer who resides in Mexico, and was naturally approved by Catholic organizations (probably funded to some degree, as well). However, the movie's not completely "one-sided," as critics claim, which is admirable. For instance, President Calles (the "villain") offers peace terms to General Gorostieta (the "good guy") in a secret parley that seems reasonable to me, but the general is too proud to accept them. Once the dust settles the war concludes based on essentially the same pact Gorostieta rejected, with the mediation of the United States ambassador (Bruce Greenwood), who happened to be related to Charles Lindbergh. The USA government then provided Calles with machine guns while Mexico granted protection for America's oil interests. So it's not all black and white, and you have to give kudos to a film that honestly chronicles political & moral ambiguities.
A Mexican production, the movie runs 145 minutes and was shot entirely in Mexico. The locations are awesome, by the way. The screenplay was written by Michael Love. On the DVD there's a 27-minute documentary on the Cristeros War & the movie, which is worth checking out.
GRADE: B
While this is a historical war/drama/action movie it could also be designated as a Western, albeit a Mexican Western. But don't expect some of the stereotypical staples of most Westerns, like quick-draw showdowns, saloons, cavalry vs. Indians, saloon girls, stampedes and cattle drives. This is a realistic detailing of the events with quite a bit of action and an occasional eye-rolling dramatic sequence.
Some of the comments by critics are clueless in that they try to argue that the actual situation in Mexico at the time was more complex than the movie shows. Ya think? What else is new? All movies based on historical events try to simplify the situation to make the story palatable to viewers. Critics also argue that the movie's too "one-sided" and some even attempt to defend Calles' tyrannical oppression. Seriously? No matter how you slice it he tried to stamp out a deep-rooted religion in his country through oppression and murder. He actually thought he could rid the populace of Catholicism in a year's time. He was wrong. He also underestimated the Cristeros and was thoroughly humbled.
By 1929 the Federals had 100,000 troops whereas the Cristeros only had half that, and many of them were women. During the three years of fighting the Federals lost 57,000 soldiers while the Cristeros 'only' lost 30,000. Altogether an estimated 250,000 people lost their lives and the same number fled Mexico.
This is a good movie to remind us that "the government" can easily morph into a tyrannical dictator in a moment's notice if the citizenry isn't vigilant. Consider the USA, for example: If Americans keep electing doofus Demoncraps to high office the so-called Supreme Court will eventually have a libertine majority and, faster than you can blink, Christianity and religious freedom would be eradicated overnight. Suddenly it would be a "hate crime" to say such-and-such is a sin and evangelizing would be outlawed. Make no mistake, it could happen in a heartbeat. Remember in 2014 when the city of Houston subpoenaed pastors' sermons as part of a crackdown on preaching against homosexuality?
The movie was based on the 1976 book The Cristero Rebellion, a chronicle of the war written by French historian Jean Meyer who resides in Mexico, and was naturally approved by Catholic organizations (probably funded to some degree, as well). However, the movie's not completely "one-sided," as critics claim, which is admirable. For instance, President Calles (the "villain") offers peace terms to General Gorostieta (the "good guy") in a secret parley that seems reasonable to me, but the general is too proud to accept them. Once the dust settles the war concludes based on essentially the same pact Gorostieta rejected, with the mediation of the United States ambassador (Bruce Greenwood), who happened to be related to Charles Lindbergh. The USA government then provided Calles with machine guns while Mexico granted protection for America's oil interests. So it's not all black and white, and you have to give kudos to a film that honestly chronicles political & moral ambiguities.
A Mexican production, the movie runs 145 minutes and was shot entirely in Mexico. The locations are awesome, by the way. The screenplay was written by Michael Love. On the DVD there's a 27-minute documentary on the Cristeros War & the movie, which is worth checking out.
GRADE: B