List

Adapting a novel is no simple task. Having read the book by Robert Whitlow I must say I am truly impressed. Is it exactly the same as the book? No, but it captures the heart of the book's message and I left the theater satisfied from a thrilling tale of good versus evil.

Perhaps even more impressive is the "production value" of the picture. Often low-budget films can really look cheap on screen only to be sent crashing and burning by even cheaper acting. Malcolm McDowell and Chuck Carrington lead the way for an ensemble cast of characters that truly captures the "Old-Money, Deep South" of Charleston. I was particularly impressed with scenes by Pat Hingle (of Gunsmoke fame, as well as Batman) and Will Patton which provided the most touching moments in the film.

I was always concerned that this movie would end up preaching to the audience (like most movies I have seen of this genre). The List is not that movie. A few of the characters talk about their faith and their belief in prayer but it is just a part of who those people are in the greater story of The List. It was nice to see someone on-screen portrayed as a selfless, compassionate human willing to sacrifice themselves for others WITHOUT TURNING TO VIOLENCE (a rare character in Hollywood).

So grab some popcorn and a coke--pull up a chair-- and enjoy this fantastic little Indie- flick!!

Based on the novel by Robert Whitlow, The List is a suspense story about a young lawyer named Renny and his involvement with a secretive investment brotherhood known as The Covenant List of South Carolina, Ltd. As he tries to escape the financial and spiritual domination of this mysterious group, he falls in love with a young woman named Jo, and learns some lessons about the power of prayer along the way.

When I reviewed the novel (also a two-star effort IMO), my primary peeves were the fact that the story's middle was bogged down by Renny & Jo's romance, and that Renny's "conversion" to Christianity was a very weak presentation of the Gospel. I was curious to see if these flaws would be addressed with a more tightly-written screenplay. The answer is both yes and no.

The book-to-screen translation did eliminate the saggy middle of the novel, but I think they actually cut too much, boiling Renny and Jo's love story down to one or two brief scenes. The story as told here seems rushed; the slow parts of the book are tightened up, but everything else got curtailed too, even the good parts. Frankly, if I hadn't read the book I'm not sure how much of the story I would have grasped. Perhaps budgetary restraints made them keep the film short, but the resulting screenplay only hits the highlights of the book.

Though I hardly thought it possible, Renny's "conversion" is even weaker here than in the book. He just sits in a church, crying and staring at a statue of Jesus. There's no Gospel at all! There are some good spiritual lessons about the power of faith and prayer, but the choppy storytelling weakens the effectiveness of the message.

The production values are excellent, and the performances are good as well, especially the actress who plays Mama A. The overall casting was excellent, too. I did wish that the motivations of the villainous Desmond had been made clearer; sometimes he seems to want to help Renny, but then he turns around and stabs him in the back. Also, unlike the book, the movie ends with his fate unresolved! The source of his supernatural abilities is never made clear either -- he just seems like a bad guy with some kind of unexplained spooky power.

Bottom line, despite a good cast and production values, the sketchy storytelling make The List a movie to scratch from YOUR list.

My impression before seeing "The List" was that it's a thriller. It is, in fact a mix of Christian drama, occult/supernatural horror and romance. And the combination doesn't work. It doesn't work as a thriller because it completely lacks suspense.

The supernatural elements don't work because there's no understandable logic to them and they only appear towards the end of the movie, with no hint beforehand that there was anything supernatural about the secret society that Renny, the main character, has joined. And speaking of Renny, he's just not a very nice guy who spends most of his time whining about money. It's hard to identify with or care for him very much. And Chuck Carrington is not a very good leading man.

And while the movie tries to be an inspirational movie, there's almost no character development that feels convincing. Usually in such movies, we get to follow the character's change of heart. In "The List", Renny just suddenly appears to have become a Christian for no particular reason, and the same goes for the romance. We don't see Renny and Jo fall in love; they're just suddenly a couple.

All in all, the movie is much too boring. It's very slow and never made me interested. A weak two star rating thanks to the great performance of Malcolm McDowell and the other old men on "the list".