The Forge

Through the years we have seen a plethora of inspirational/Christian type films with many of them very encouraging if not life affirming. Some of the best filmmakers of these films are the Kendrick Brothers--the ones that brought us "Fireproof", "The War Room", "Courageous", "Facing the Giants", etc. Now they have offered us "The Forge" so we can learn more about our relationship with God. 

A year out of high school with no plans for his future, a young man, Isaiah Wright (Aspen Kennedy Wilson) is challenged by his single mom, Cynthia (Priscilla C. Shirer) and a successful businessman, Joshua Moore (Cameron Arnett) to start charting a better course for his life. Through the prayers of his mother and biblical discipleship from his new mentor, he begins discovering God's purpose for his life is so much more than he could hope for or imagine. 

Others to round out the cast are Karen Abercrombie as Miss Clara Williams, T.C. Stallings as Tony Jordan, Isaiah's uncle, B.J. Arnett as Janelle Moore, Joshua's wife, Ken Bevel as James, Stephen C. Lewis as Emmett, Willie Mellina as Todd, Justin Sterner as Cody, Brendan Goshay as Curtis, Marianne Haaland as Wanda and Dylan Cruz as Carlos. 

This was directed with the same conviction and pathos as his other films by Alex Kendrick ("Flywheel" '03, "Facing the Giants" '06, "Fireproof" '08, "Courageous" '11 "War Room" '15, "Overcomer" '19). Every one of his films simply tug at ones' heartstrings so as to convey to his audience of the extreme importance of the message he's attempting to bring forth. You can feel the characters' pain as well as excitement considering the scene at hand. It is equally written well by Alex Kendrick ("Flywheel" '03, "Facing the Giants" '06, "Fireproof" '08, "Courageous" '11, "War Room" '15, "Like Arrows" '18, "Overcomer" '19, "Lifemark" '22) and Stephen Kendrick ("Flywheel" '03, "Facing the Giants" '06, "Fireproof" '08, "Courageous" '11, "Beyond the Mask" '15, "War Room" '15, "Overcomer" '19, "Show Me the Father" '21, "Lifemark" '22) These two brothers constantly work together to produce these films, and considering how many people have been positively affected  by their writing, I suspect they will be a writing as a team for quite some time. They, being Christian, certainly have the ability to write stories that convey to people's hearts. Their stories are often heartwarming, convicting and entertaining all the while teaching us a much needed lesson. Their writing, which is similar, is concise, coherent, and sequenced well. 

This film is a film for Christians and non alike--it's a real shot in the arm for Christians all the while teaching them something about the relationship they have with God, while with non-Christians, it's a film that will hope to speak to their hearts so maybe, just maybe, they can have the same relationship with God as Christians do. 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                         Rated: PG                                             124mins.