Official Synopsis:
Deception, greed and a deadly lust for power lie at the heart of a sinister organization in this intriguing thriller based on the novel by best-selling author Robert Whitlow. Starring Malcolm McDowell (TV's War and Peace), Chuck Carrington (TV's JAG), Hilarie Burton (TV's One Tree Hill) and Will Patton (A Mighty Heart), The List is a heart-racing tale of suspense and betrayal, in a dark world of blood oaths that bind generations. Returning home for his father's funeral, Renny Jacobson (Carrington) discovers he's the inheritor of his family's chair in a secret society founded during the Civil War. But Renny suspects there's more to the society's activities than meets the eye, and when his inquiries into the group's true nature are discovered by its corrupt leader (McDowell), Renny becomes the target of a dark and mysterious force with the power to destroy everything - and everyone - he loves.

  
Our Take:
I confused The List with a book I read that was great; this movie was not based on that book and it is not great. In fact, it’s barely good enough to watch.

Weak writers try to have it both ways when they write scripts, but the shrug of the writers’ shoulders is apparent in the plot and people tend to stay away in droves. The List could have been good as an intrigue about secret societies and the power of their wealth, or it could have been a great romance but it tries instead to be an evangelical blockbuster. I doubt there would be lines around the block to see this one. There is some very good acting in the movie. The male and female leads, Chuck Carrington and Hilarie Burton, play their parts well. Malcolm McDowell is disappointing, though; he has a part that could have been brilliant but as it is, he just does okay.

I believe the movie was meant to dramatize the power of prayer and instill or enhance belief in God but I’m not sure the plot was thought through all that well. Two or three greedy men seemed to exert more power by pressing their thumbs upon a set of bloody thumb prints than the “good guys” seemed capable of with all their devotion to God and their prayer. Did they really mean to portray evil as more powerful than God? I’m sure it wasn’t meant that way but that was the sense of the movie I came away with.

There are a number of extras included with the DVD.

*  Commentary With the Producer and Director.

*  The Power of Prayer (3 minutes)

*  Deleted Scenes (15 minutes)

*  The List – Bible Study.

I doubt many viewers will like The List. Even people searching for spiritual themes to share with their family will probably agree that this movie falls far short of its potential and, while watchable, is not very interesting or entertaining. I’d pass.

Overall Picture:
Movie: C-
DVD: C+

- Tony Gray

Staff Writer