Virtuous

When a young woman, Simone Burner (singer/songwriter, Brandy Allison) is accused of murdering the woman who assaulted her, she seeks out the help of attorney Jack Evans (Erik Estrada) to prove her innocence. A ruthless and corrupt prosecutor engages her in a trial that brings the past she has longed to escape to the forefront of her defense. Virtuous will inspire and ignite you to live the principles of Proverbs 31------faith, integrity, wisdom, and honor. (back cover)




There are some strong female roles in this film who represent women who have gone through various forms of neglect or abuse who each come to terms with their past and overcome it as they realize their value as daughters of the King. From Si (Brandy Allison)who has left behind a life of abandonment and drugs, an ambitious news reporter (Vanessa Ore) who has left her faith behind as she seeks to advance her career, A cop (Angelita Nelson) bitter over her husband's betrayal, a soldier (Jenni Ivers) who is captured and tortured by the Taliban, a single mom (Melissa Barron), and a retiring judge (Bonnie Johnson) who is emotionally abused by her husband. Each of the women have storylines that intertwine, but it takes a while before the stories come together enough for the pieces to fall into place. I enjoyed the second half of the movie more than I did the first.

^{To be honest, the first 5 minutes were not good at all and I am certain that had an impact on my attitude as I watched the film. Then with all of the loose threads of stories that had not yet come together, I had problems staying focused on the action. I commend Director of Photography, James Burgess, on the look of the film, but some of the dialogue and acting was cringe-worthy. I wasn't crazy about musical choices (and a good soundtrack can make or break a film for me) and some of the scenes just didn't quite make sense to me. I was even able to (reluctantly, LOL!) overlook that one of the more obnoxious characters was a staunch fan of my beloved University of Alabama. I don't want to say there were not good moments, because there were several, especially in the second half of the movie that did really touch me. But I would have missed them had I not been reviewing the film since the weak beginning would normally have me turning it off. So, it has some good points that are worth waiting for, but is more of a "preaching to the choir" type movie. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but only still it is a mediocre film.}

The film, directed by Bill Rahn, is slightly over 2 hours and is probably not suitable for anyone under 13. Other cast members include Erin Bethea, Ben Davies, and Jessica Lynch. For more information, go to www.virtuousfilm.com.


Disclaimer: I received a copy of the DVD courtesy of EDIFY MEDIA Inc. as part of the series promotion. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC 16 CFR, Part 255 'Guides concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising. I was not asked to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.