Movie Review: Undaunted

Undaunted is the early life story of Josh McDowell, a man I was never really a fan of in high school. He was all the rage in Christian circles with his apologetics and public speaking. The unfortunate part was that the only book of his I read ("Answers to Tough Questions Skeptics Ask About the Christian Faith") was more like a handbook of quick replies rather than a serious apologetics book. So, at a time when I was looking for bigger answers, McDowell came up short for me. And that really is unfortunate?

After watching the film Undaunted, my interest is renewed. I have always enjoyed the writings of agnostics and atheists turned Christian, such as C.S. Lewis and Lee Stroebel. I connect with the skeptic's mind, always searching and looking for proof of something we can really only accept by faith. Paradoxical, I know, but wounded people like McDowell insist on authenticity, especially if a call to hope is involved.

The film charts the very rocky history of Josh McDowell, and had I known his story, I probably would have taken more interest in his work earlier. Critics of Christianity like to say that our faith preys on the weak and downtrodden, and that intellectual, well-adjusted people would never subscribe to such nonsense. I disagree. Broken, hopeless and abused people are harder to crack. They've built up walls the likes of which intellectuals cannot fathom. And for God to get through, well, it takes nothing short of a miracle.

This film is a docudrama which includes scripted scenes from his life interspersed with narration by Josh himself. It is not a dramatic feature film, so be prepared for that. With narration breaks, docudramas by nature can't create the dramatic tension of a feature film. They aren't going to draw you in and make you cry, and this film follows that tradition. But it is still a fantastic story of God's intervention in the life of a long-abused child who was riddled with shame and hatred.

McDowell's bravery stood out to me when the film was finished. It is enough to just be healed and recover from such injury. But to have the courage to lay your heart bare before millions of people and have your suffering exposed on the grand stage of life, that's quite a risk. It is a risk that we see him running from in the first few minutes of the film. It's amazing to see how God kept healing him until he came to the point where the risk of exposure paled in comparison to the benefit of testimony. And it is powerful to see how God can turn weakness, fear, and brokenness into living proof of his existence.

All of the skeptical writers admit that it wasn't the research that convinced them of the reality of Jesus. Likewise, McDowell lines up in a long history of anti-Christian people who have discovered that the research wasn't the key to faith. God's love changed them. His love is real, life-changing, and above debate. It simply cannot be argued, only experienced. At the end of the film, Josh McDowell gives a gentle invitation to those in the audience who might need to experience God's love and healing. The upside of this film being a biography is that non-Christians are often more open to seeing Christian truth than Christian fiction.

Writer/Director Cristobal Krusen (also did The Bill Collector) did a great job with the content, handling delicate subjects like physical and sexual abuse very well. The acting was excellent, particularly the boys who played Josh at the two different ages (John Klicka as young Josh, and Allen Williamson as teen/20's Josh) and the drunk father (Tom Emmott). Overall, I think the film is quite successful in conveying the?redeemed life of a major Christian leader. Often, people are so changed by God over the years that you would never guess they had a bad past. Josh McDowell is one such person, and I'm so glad he shared his testimony with the world.

Source: http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/article_info.php?articles_id=8602&src=rss

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