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The Grace Card - review
Published 12 July 2012
The Grace Card (M, 2010)
Another Christian film developed with the assistance of a church in the USA, The Grace Card has been received well, and can be compared to Courageous, though it was released beforehand. There are similar themes related to the law enforcement characters and issues about fatherhood and relations within the family unit. The acting is usually well-done, with a good role from Louis Gossett Jr (who received an Academy Award for his role in An Officer and a Gentleman). 
The director of the film is David Evans, a graduate from Southwest Baptist University and also a Doctorate of Optometry who established Graceworks Pictures. This is another example of a film developed within a church community, being the Calvary Church in Cordova Tennessee, and the involvement of local people. David has a long history of directing the church's Passion Play and the church has an interest in the creative arts. The screen play was written by Howard Klausner; mostly know for writing Space Cowboys (2000). The theme of the film is of course evident from the title and a related message is the tagline "witness the power of forgiveness". Ephesians 2:8 is the bible verse chosen the highlight the message: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God".
The film has some good elements, but has a didactic preaching style that is occasionally repetitious and does not allow some circumstances and very significant elements and issues to develop by themselves. I found this a very helpful film for its consideration of racial issues which are rarely raised in ‘Christian films' and no doubt arising from the local church's emphasis on reconciliation. Watching this film, I was reminded of another aspect of grace: "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." (Colossians 4:6). Let grace abound.
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