Reconciled

Wait a minute, Tim Ritter made a Christian film? THE Tim Ritter? The guy who made Killing Spree and Dirty Cop No Donut? Sounds good. I mean, after all, Tim Ritter made it, of course it'll be good. In an age where Christians are mostly seen as lame and closed-minded, a man who normally creates bold horror movies, boldly shows us something a little different. This time it's something real, something true. Tim Ritter, Florida's most talented independent filmmaker, has shown us the one and only way to live forever.

No twisted illusions here, folks, this story is as real as it gets. A deep but simple story, told in a very down to earth manner. Concerning an over-weight, alcoholic, adulterous man, who carries around a lot of anger and resentment, mostly to his estranged wife who can no longer stand his abuse. Franklin is on a mission from Hell, to, once and for all, put that wife in her place... with a gun. I think it's safe to say this guy has some demons. As Franklin makes that long, drunken drive, he is confronted by a stranger, a rather easygoing stranger who seems to know him a little too well. The stranger tells Franklin the story of Jesus, and His significance, mostly telling him things he's heard a million times. Franklin is just not ready to listen, he's still feeling drunk and ornery. Franklin is still in the mood to kill. Unfortunately for our portly, drunk friend, this man is invincible. A gun, a car, or even fire cannot prevent this stranger from talking some sense into Franklin, before it's too late.

And I'm sure most exploitation fans out there would be a bit disappointed in Ritter's latest effort, mainly, because of the lack of certain obvious, exploitation qualities that were left out for obvious reasons. Reconciled Through The Christ is bigger than exploitation, it's bigger than the gory, often inept, B-entertainment we all know and love, Reconciled is an attempt at saving souls, plain and simple. Good message or not, Reconciled is an all-around good movie that holds you attention till the very end. So, give it a chance, you might learn something. The Bible says that in the last days, the Gospel will be available everywhere, and Exploitation Country is no exception, thanks to Tim Ritter. No Wynkoop, no Asbestos, no gore (atleast not much), no profanity, just a positive message, the truth about Jesus Christ. Well done, Ritter, I didn't know you had it in you. Now, please, for the love of God, make another horror movie!! 10/10

I've been waiting for a long time for a movie that might capture the strange viewpoint of what it's like to be first and foremost a practicing Christian, and secondarily a huge and longtime horror/B/underground film fan (that is, I've been waiting for a movie with my own point of view). While I might have to finally buy a used camcorder and start planning to make that particular movie myself, Tim Ritter's Reconciled Through the Christ provides an entertaining exercise in the exploration of such issues.

As I am someone who has been freed from multiple gutter-level addictions by Christ and who has studied the historical evidence for Him extensively, there is no one who can convince me that He is not the eternal Savior for human souls. Ritter, however, is not only preaching to fellow believers like me here, but bravely reaching for a wider and much less-believing audience with this film that is that rarest of things: an evangelical B-movie.

Campy flicks like Blood Freak might provide dubious examples of this non-genre from the past, but Ritter's work here is far above that sort of cheese, without losing the weird B-movie atmosphere that we all crave.

This is a Tim Ritter Christian horror film, so it shouldn't be surprising that it comes off like one of his old exploitation flicks remade through the lens of his more recent Christian conversion. You will thus find here the usual sort of independent-underground actors with an unusual level of commitment and rough talent, shot on video with a the usual slow, nicely edgy Ritteresque attention to detail, and working an interesting story about a drunk, thieving, dissipated fat guy losing his mind and going on a road trip to kill his wife, while being stalked himself by a freaky, Bible-thumping preacher. There are even a few quick sprinklings of the old Ritter gore and sleaze included, but this time it's only for the noble purpose of establishing the very real horror of an unsaved world, a horror which the film portrays throughout through the eyes of one disturbed man, and it does so while for the most part staying clear of over-lecturing its audience. Oh, and there's also a lot of lovably obvious but fun and well-done digital/computer video effects sequences that take the form of various hallucinations and dreams, so how much more B-movie-like can you get? My one complaint here is that I wish the second unit-shot Crucifixion of Christ sequence, done by a director named Richard Anasky, which intriguingly uses various characters who are dressed for the modern day, had been given more time in the overall movie and hadn't been edited in so choppily by Ritter.

His own commentary track, however, is a must-listen, as he goes through the process of making a very low-budget movie in a down-to-earth and unpretentious way that should make his religious message that much more interesting to non-believers. He also tells convincingly of the rigors of making a microbudget movie while also working a separate night- shift job. Anyone who works the midnight tour as well (and I'm one of them) can only commiserate with the hazy, exhausted wringer that Ritter must have gone through to make the labor of love that is Reconciled. My friend Jack Seney says it all. Check it out if this might interest you.