Saturday, April 13, 2013

The List

A group of wealthy Confederate landowners meet on a stormy night to form a secret blood covenant to protect their families' fortunes. One man refuses to sign, uttering a dark prophecy against the dangers of greed and black magic. Ignoring the warning, the men pool their gold in a desperate attempt to smuggle their treasures to Europe.
140 years later, Renny Jacobson, is stunned to discover that his father has left his substantial estate to charity, leaving his son with nothing but a reference to an obscure entity called "the Covenant List of South Carolina, Ltd."
Mystified, Renny sets out on a quest to learn the truth about "The List" Along the way, he meets the lovely Jo Johnston, another descendent of a family bound to the secret society. Renny soon discovers that they are both inheritors of an ancient and sinister secret - as well as a vast fortune and that tragedy follows those who bind themselves to The List. Having signed the covenant with his own blood, he is unprepared to fight the evil forces that now seek to devour everything - and anyone - Renny holds dear. As his world crumbles, he is joined in the spiritual battle by some unlikely and courageous heroes.
In an unexpected and thrilling climax, Renny finds that he must fulfill the prophecy spoken in 1863 and destroy the power of The List - or risk losing the true treasure that has changed his life. (modified from the website)

This film, directed by Gary Wheeler, is another adaptation of a Robert Whitlow novel. This is a fairly good legal suspense film with supernatural overtones. I liked the book a bit better, but he was able to go more indepth with some of the story. However, the cautionary tale of greed and making 'a deal with the devil' is one that brings to life the Scripture: "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." - Matthew 6:24

The members of this "Good Ol' Boy" club seem to be a congenial group of Southern gentleman as they graciously un-invite Jo (a woman!) to be a part of the group...and rid themselves of the pesky Yankee who has infiltrated. Malcolm McDowell, as always, gives an outstanding performance as the charming yet villainous leader of "The List", Desmond Larochette. Renny is a nice guy, but has to decide is his desire for money is going to corrupt him or if his love for money will give way to love of Jo...and ultimately his soul.



 

Bottom line is that it's not the best film I've seen, but I enjoyed it and think it is worth seeing.

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