Dove Review

“Masterless” is an allegorical film that features plenty of action and fighting in the spirit of the Samurai Warrior, along with real-life drama. The story focuses on Kane Madison (Adam LaVorgna), who is facing serious stress issues with his sick wife. Then, added to this difficulty, he’s suddenly laid off at work. His wife is a Christian and wants him to trust God, but he strongly resists her faith. Her faith is the only issue he and his loving wife have. In every other aspect, they enjoy an idyllic marriage.

The movie is very visual, with scenes of a masked “Dark Lord” called Ronin, who is pursuing Kane. These scenes with Ronan return whenever Kane is enduring stress and must make decisions. The sword fights and the idea of the good versus evil that takes place in a black and white tinted world seem to suggest the spiritual warfare going on for Kane’s soul. He speaks with his wife’s priest but is not ready to make a commitment to God.

When things take a turn for the worse, regarding his wife, Kane has to decide which side he is going to take. He reads aloud from Psalm 143:12, in which the writer pleads with God, for His name’s sake, to preserve his life and, in His unfailing love, to silence his enemies.

The film includes a few romantic scenes between Kane and his wife and plenty of action sequences. We award this movie our “Faith-Friendly” Seal for ages 12-plus, due to some violent scenes, including death by sword. Fortunately, the film has no bloody scenes, and the scenes are not gratuitous.

Dove Rating Details

0

Faith

None

0

Integrity

Several sword and stick fighting sequences; some kicks and a few punches; martial arts; a few characters are struck by arrows and pierced with a sword, but the scenes are not bloody or gratuitous; a few slashing noises with the swords; a man has a poisonous dagger in his hand; man is told to kill another man; the news on TV says a man killed himself and others with a bomb; in a quick scene, a man in the fantasy sequence is enveloped in flames.

0

Sex

None

1

Language

Butt-1; Old Man-1; Useless-2; People use the word "fool" multiple times; Geez-1

2

Violence

Several sword and stick fighting sequences; some kicks and a few punches; martial arts; a few characters are struck by arrows and pierced with a sword, but the scenes are not bloody or gratuitous; a few slashing noises with the swords; a man has a poisonous dagger in his hand; man is told to kill another man; the news on TV says a man killed himself and others with a bomb; in a quick scene, a man in the fantasy sequence is enveloped in flames.

1

Drugs

Woman takes prescription pills; man looks at pills and considers taking them to commit suicide, but he does not; man drinks a beer.

1

Nudity

Mild cleavage; woman in nightgown.

2

Other

A woman speaks against her daughter's faith in God and gives her son-in-law a charm of some kind, which he places in their home but then later removes; tension between a couple over the wife's faith in God; tension between a man and his mother-in-law; man considers suicide but does not go through with it; death and grief; a man has the power to start a flame on the tip of his finger, and a dark lord can set his own hand on fire; a man studies different religions on his computer, including mysticism, but he eventually turns to the God of the Bible.