You could argue a movie with a basic kidnapping/revenge plot has no business being two and a half hours. But this movie – this weird, weird movie – could also make a convincing argument that it fills its time with introspective, graphic violence, and character. Maybe its plot could have been over with quicker, but it would have missed out on a complete, character-focused story.

God is a Bullet stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as a father whose daughter was kidnapped by a lunatic cult. Maika Monroe plays a woman who escaped the cult and offers to help rescue the daughter. Much weird pacing and graphic violence ensues.

The thing I found most curious about this flick was its quiet, music-laced downtime. Its lengthy passages of introspection. For a movie that’s this violent – and it IS violent – I didn’t get the impression they were wallowing in it without regard for character or growth. The story never really goes anywhere deep, but the tone does.

And, yeah, when the movie gets violent, it gets violent. Bloody, raw carnage… bullets blowing off jaws, annihilating faces, exploding chests. It’s kind of disturbing… but, then again, they named the movie is God is a Bullet for a reason. If some of the blood splatter and dismemberment suffers from being CGI, at least its often abrupt and shocking.

So, sure, wanton carnage in rapid-fire bursts… but not as much as you might think. Much of the movie is full of long stretches of dialog and contemplation. The actors – especially Maika Monroe – are given time to inhabit their characters. Perhaps too much time… but I can’t argue they didn’t turn in performances that exceeded the limited depth of the story.

On the other hand, some of this can go a long way. For instance, once we get our catharsis in a final actions scene, the movie ambles on for another half hour. There’s purpose to it… but, like with many passages in the film, it feels a little drawn out. What they are trying to do is admirable… but a little flawed in execution.

I kind of admire this flick for breaking the rules of a simple exploitation action thriller. It could have been – and perhaps should have been – a generic tight ninety… but there’s something curious about the decision to break from convention.

Score: 78