Tim Ritter is well known among indie fans for his low budget, yet entertaining, horror and exploitation films for many years. Recent events lead Tim to move from his usual Floridian haunts to Kentucky, and make a more personal film than his past endeavors - RECONCILED THROUGH THE CHRIST. Know this before you go on pilgrims, RECONCILED is an absolute religious film extolling the ideology that the only path to salvation is through accepting Jesus Christ. So if you're a believer, or keep an open mind on such things, carry on…

After a montage of images retelling the fall of Man in the Garden of Eden, young Paul flees through the woods in desperate flight. The Dragon is pursuing him. When Paul stumbles upon a small chapel, instead of a safe haven, the church is destroyed by the fiery Beast. Paul flees again, but ultimately the Dragon finds his prey and consumes the hapless lad - but it's only a dream! Or perhaps a vision of things to come…

Paul visits his brother in the hospital. He hopes his sibling will accept Christ as his Savior before it's too late. Seems Franklin has done a lot of dirty deeds in his life… Elise calls Frankie and tells him she has left; his cheating and abusive ways have finally driven her from his side. Frankie will not accept Elise's decision and vows that 'nobody does this to me', and plans to murder her. After he loads his car with many malicious implements, Frankie heads north to where Elise is hiding. Along the way he sees road signs proclaiming the return of Jesus, so repent and turn away from Satan now! Frankie, once a believer, now scoffs at the messages. He picks up a hitchhiker, but soon finds out she's running away from her abusive husband. This pushes Frankie over the edge, and he tries to kill his unlucky passenger. The timely arrival of a mysterious stranger stops the assault, and this new man convinces Frankie it's in his best interest to drive him into town. He introduces himself as a drifter named Davey…

As Frankie and Davey continue on, Davey asks Frankie about his future. Not the next week, but eternity. Where is Franklin going to go after he dies? Why will he not accept the truth of Christ? Frankie makes some half-hearted arguments and excuses, but Davey's conviction makes short work of his objections. An irritated Frankie finally begs him to stop the preaching. After a rest stop at a cheap motel, Davey asks Frankie if he's really going to kill his wife - it seems Frankie talked in his sleep. A nervous Frankie draws his gun, with its one bullet...

RECONCILED THROUGH THE CHRIST is writer/director Tim Ritter's statement of his faith to the world. Now, one may agree or disagree with his dogma, but as this is a movie review and not a religious/philosophical treatise I will leave it to the individual viewer to decide as to his or her own opinion on Ritter's beliefs. Suffice to say, I respect and support any filmmaker's efforts to bring their convictions to the screen, either for sheer entertainment or more thought-provoking pursuits. As to the technical side of things, the film centers squarely on Frankie and Davey. The dialogue does get somewhat preachy, but the film's resolution explains why the discourse between the leads is long-winded. Although one can see where RECONCILED THROUGH THE CHRIST is heading, in the context of this film, the finale is quite satisfying. The lead actors give very believable performances that drive the film; the audience eventually finds sympathy for Frankie's anguish about his conflict of faith, and can almost feel the passion of Davey's convictions. Ritter's direction is very smooth, and the editing keeps things moving at a good pace; the near constant dialogue doesn't bog down the action. There are quite a few digital effects used in the film, from Paul's dream Dragon to 'the plague of reason' (wait until you see the 'locust' effect - keen!). Effects man Todd Ponstler deserves credit for a decent job with a very small budget. The picture quality is usually fine, but some scenes are uneven, with grainy shots cropping up, lighting is well done overall, however. Audio is nice and clear, even on location shots. The music score is very 'Hollywood' and works well with the visuals.

Sub Rosa Studios have released RECONCILED THROUGH THE CHRIST on DVD with several extras. Most importantly is a full-length commentary track by Ritter. He reflects on his life making low budget films, and offers advice to aspiring creators. Yes, he talks about his faith, but doesn't come across as some pretentious TV evangelist - it's just his thing, y'know? There is a short featurette on the special effects, as well as a nifty behind-the scenes bit on the second unit guys shooting inserts (You've got to watch the film yourself to find out exactly what). There is also a trailer and a short bit about Sub Rosa.

RECONCILED THROUGH THE CHRIST is Tim Ritter's declaration of his faith to the world. Whether one agrees with his beliefs or not, the film is a thoughtful perspective on one man's path to salvation. I'm sure Christians will enjoy this tale of redemption, and even a cynic like me can appreciate the creative effort and honest intensity of RECONCILED THROUGH THE CHRIST. I do have my own road to follow, however...