For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada (2012)

A chronicle of the Cristeros War (1926-1929); a war by the people of Mexico against the atheistic Mexican government.

Director:

Dean Wright

Writer:

Michael Love

Stars:

Andy Garcia, Oscar Isaac, Catalina Sandino Moreno

2 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mauricio Kuri	...	José
Adrian Alonso	...	Lalo (as Adrián Alonso)
Rubén Blades	...	President Calles
Catalina Sandino Moreno	...	Adriana
Eduardo Verástegui	...	Anacleto Gonzales Flores
Patricia Garza	...	Fernanda Gonzales Flores
Alan Ramirez	...	Gustavo Gonzales Flores (as Alan Ramírez)
Estefania Alejandra	...	Yolanda Gonzales Flores
Oscar Isaac	...	Victoriano 'El Catorce' Ramirez
Raúl Adalid	...	Father Robles
Peter O'Toole	...	Father Christopher
Nestor Carbonell	...	Mayor Picazo
Erando González	...	La Guada
Santiago Cabrera	...	Father Vega
Jorge Luis Moreno	...	Pablo

Storyline

What price would you pay for freedom? In the exhilarating action epic FOR GREATER GLORY, an impassioned group of men and women make the decision to risk it all for family, faith and country. This film unfolds the (hidden) true story of 1920's Cristeros War.

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Plot Keywords:

fanatic | religious fanatic | religious fanaticism | fanaticism | ammo belt | 

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Taglines:

He was the last man to believe in their cause. But became the first willing to die for it.

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for war violence and some disturbing images

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish English

Release Date:

1 June 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

For Greater Glory

Filming Locations:

Tlaxcala, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

MXN 13,866,827 (Mexico), 22 April 2012, Wide Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,885,608, 3 June 2012, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$5,669,081, 12 August 2012

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,195,929

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dos Corazones Films,NewLand Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The closing scene showing Father Christopher's death was based on the story of San Cristobal Magallanes Jara, who was falsely accused of promoting the rebellion and was then executed without trial. His last words to his executioners were "I die innocent, and ask God that my blood may serve to unite my Mexican brethren."

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Quotes

Captain Quintana: Please, what do you want? Money? I can get you money.
Victoriano 'El Catorce' Ramirez: Spend it Hell, cabron.

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Crazy Credits

Near the end of the credits, "Batman" is credited as a painter.

User Reviews

Impressive

Well, this film is a nice twist on what we've seen in film the past few decades: the atheists vs. the Christians (in this case, Catholic) and the atheists lose! It was based on on a real-life event in Mexico: the Cristeros War from 1926-29.

What else stuck out was the excellent cinematography, production values and the acting and role that Andy Garcia played as "Enrique Gorosteita Velarde." Garcia gets fifth billing here on the IMDb home page but make no mistake: he is the star of this film. His slow transformation from non-believer to believer is interesting to watch.

Although it may have a "religious" theme and no nudity or profanity that I can recall, there is a lot of rough violence in this film. Hence, the "R" rating.....yet I couldn't help but feel this movie still had a lot of family appeal. Being a pro-Catholic film, it didn't get much publicity or fair reviews from mainline critics. No surprise there.

For those not sure about this film, I have no hesitation in recommending it. As mentioned, it has very high production values (see it on Blu-Ray, if you can), the story moves along well and the acting is just fine. It's a good story and and almost an old-fashioned type of movie epic.