artwork and religious valuables to keep them from being plundered and destroyed by government officials.On more than one occasion, based on anonymous tips, government troops personally led by General Plutarco Elías Calles, raided both my great-grandfathers business and his home, looking for firearms and the illegal church valuables that he was hiding. Unable to find anything, the General made my great-grandfather kneel to the ground and shoved his pistol into the back of my great-grandfathers head. Why he never pulled the trigger or why they were never able to find anything either at the candle factory or at his home, was all God's work. At my great-grandfather's home, there were firearms in plain sight standing behind the open doors to the inner rooms… supplied to him by the US Embassy in Mexico City.This world is really-really small… as fate would have it be, my brother-in-law married the great-granddaughter of General Plutarco Elías Calles… Although my father knows about this, I never mentioned anything to my grandfather about the subject… Thank God nothing more serious ever happened… there are absolutely no ill-feelings between us, and it sure makes a heck-of-a-good family story for generations to come! I hope you have an opportunity to see the movie, it is an important chapter of Mexican history which has been institutionally hidden for almost 100 years now.

against the Catholic Church and against religious freedom in general. Andy Garcia is Oscar level good here as General Gorostieta, a man with limited faith who responds and masterfully leads the fight for freedom. It's intense and, at times, surprisingly violent and impactful. This movie delivers real emotion and doesn't dodge tough questions about faith. It delivers an exceptional balance of showing why people behave and choose to engage in certain behaviors even when such behavior is contrary to the core of their belief system.One thing is certain; no one who has faith will take it or their religious freedom for granted after watching and EXPERIENCING this film. That's how it registered with me at any rate.

Garcia carries weight as General Gorostieta, and I particularly enjoyed Oscar Isaac as the cynical "El Catorce." The film delicately weaves in other contemporaneous complexities involving the US government and Mexcio without losing sight of the heart of the story, with a terrifically understated performance by Bruce Greenwood as the U.S. Ambassador. As someone who was once Catholic but is no longer practicing, I do not see this as a religious propaganda film, but as a film depicting a people fighting to maintain their way of life and refusing to let a government tell them they can't live what they believe. It is indeed a story from the point of view of people fighting for their faith, but I do not agree with critiques that accuse the filmmakers of creating "propaganda." This is the disadvantage films from the point of view of religious people have - that some secularists immediately and unfairly will label them "propaganda." With such a broad application of the term all film making is to some degree propaganda; after all, there is no drama without "taking a side." As someone who dislikes religion, I did not feel that this was a film that aims to proselytize, but rather one that reveals a period of Mexican history that few people know about within the context of a riveting drama.

brutality of the Mexican government as well as amazingly uplifting and moving scenes depicting the faith of those fighting.This is certainly a film which certain people don't want seen. All the more reason to go and see it. This film is doesn't sugar coat the actions of either side but shows war for what it is -- always brutal and many times necessary.Andy Garci give a great performance but it is the boy who plays Jose who steals the show. An amazing performance that is worth seeing.

sanctuary. There is also some disturbing scenes with the torture and killing of some ten-year old boys. It should probably get a R-Rating for this content. I think this is an important movie for everyone to see because it shows what happens when the government tries to shut down the freedom of religion, and it also shows what is the result of fighting for your beliefs. There are some eerie parallels to what is happening today. The message deals seriously with the issues of non-violent vs. violent protesting, what it means to have faith or not and confession. The movie portrays the various characters dealing with these issues in a few different ways.

wonderful surprise if short lived. Ignore RottenTomatoes - you will not be disappointed!

courageously, how conflicting this can be in a man's conscience, especially when it involves the spilling of blood. If anything, the personal struggle of many characters getting into this war and carrying it out made the film shine. From the young boy who faced martyrdom for the Catholic faith - Jose Sanchez del Rio, beatified in 2005 - to his uncle, a cowardly mayor too enamored of power to save him.I cannot help thinking how timely this film is when the Church and Catholics - for now - are again being curtailed in their freedoms by a government with its own agenda, this time the American government trying to limit the Church's ministry and to force Catholics to violate their consciences. Like Calles, Obama has presented the same arguments to justify his unjustifiable actions against the Church, Catholics and their institutions. It's government might over faith, the collective over the individual, an usurpation of the state to serve not the people, but an ideology.PS: disregard most professional critics' reviews for they seem to have a chip on their shoulder so big that it blinds them to the artistic and cinematographic qualities of this film.

Catholics fighting, eventually, fighting violently, for their freedoms, these criticisms reveal more about the reviewers' prejudices and biases than it does about the film. This is an important, thought-provoking film about freedom that should be seen and discussed.

efforts—those who zealously resisted the anti-clerical laws in the name of Cristo Rey Christ the King —was retired General Enrique Gorostieta.Oscar-nominated Cuban-born actor Andy Garcia portrays the general as a man of little faith, who ultimately goes against the militia to become a fierce leader of the grassroots rebellion. The depth of emotion evoked by newcomer Mexican native Mauricio Kuri's commercial film debut as the adolescent martyr Jose Luis Sanchez del Rio, whom courageously refused to denounce his sacred allegiance to the cause at all cost, will move you regardless of your religious affiliation. He was beatified declared holy by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. "It's a story that had to be told," said producer and fellow Mexican Pablo Jose Barroso of the English-language movie shot-on-location and formerly titled Cristiada for foreign-speaking audiences. "For Greater Glory is not about Catholicism but about a piece of Mexican history that not many people know about, even many Mexicans, including myself," Barroso added. "We wanted a deep, non-preachy message." If opening at No.1 in Mexico is any indication, American viewers too, will know of the unconscionable atrocities suffered by some 50,000 valiant rebels, including those among them who sacrificed their lives in what's been called 'the daring people's revolt.' Panamanian actor/musician Reuben Blades is ruthless President Elias Calles. Veteran actor and Honorary Academy Award recipient Peter O'Toole plays a priest that befriends young Jose Luis but is assassinated for non-compliance with sacrilegious laws enforced by the Federales. Eva Longoria stars opposite Garcia as his emotionally torn wife along with an international ensemble of actors and actresses that helped bring this dark chapter in the history of Mexico's Republic to a world audience. Besides Mexican heritage, many of the cast and crew share a Catholic upbringing as well. According to a letter Garcia reportedly received from the general's granddaughter thanking him for honoring Gorostieta's part in the insurgence Calles downplayed so much that it's still not spoken about in Mexico today, purportedly due to fear of opening old wounds. Formal relations with the Vatican were not re-established until 1992.