Angel in Chains (2004) (V)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Nathan Huber

Writers:

Nathan Huber (writer)
Rodney Vance (writer)

Genre:

Short | Drama

Tagline:

Sometimes the journey back is a hard ride

Plot:

The leader of a biker gang is forced to come to terms with his hazardous lifestyle through the relationship he developes with a little girl on a lone ranch in Arizona.

Plot Keywords:

Melodrama | Child | Historical | Love | Violence

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Kathie Baillie	...	Bartender (scenes deleted)
Gary Bear	...	Philosopher (scenes deleted)
Keith Bennet	...	Husband
Alyssa Bonagura	...	Skunk (scenes deleted)
Tana Lee Bristow	...	Penny Porter
Chelsea Jo Claxton	...	Becky Porter
Scott Fogg	...	Checkers (scenes deleted)
Bryan Fowler	...	Cue (scenes deleted)
Zach C. Gray	...	Ricky
Michael Mercurio	...	Pete
Ryan Pardeiro	...	Twitch (scenes deleted)
Don Pearson	...	Rip LeBeau
Dan Robinson	...	Bash (scenes deleted)
David Salmon	...	Al
Tracy Sibley	...	Marlin

Runtime:

USA:40 min | USA:75 min (DVD) | USA:40 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Benson, Arizona, USA

Company:

Southern Adventist University School of Arts Films

Trivia:

Based on the true story of Penny Porter and an encounter she had with a biker gang. The part of Pete, however, was created for dramatic purposes.

Quotes:

Marlin: What's the difference between ketchup and catsup?

In hindsight it's a pretty darn good little movie.

Being one of the students who worked on the film, I'm a little biased. Having watched it over and over frame by frame we would cringe at every little glitch and flaw. Looking back on it now a year after filming puts it into a whole new perspective. I must admit that in hindsight it's a pretty darn good little movie. Yeah, there are the usual problems that every independent low-budget film encounters, but it still remains a visually impressive labour of love. Watching it now I catch myself wondering in amazement, "Wow, did it really look this good when we were working on it?" Goes to show how jaded your eyes can get when you've been staring at footage for so long.

For most of the crew, this was completely new territory. Given amateur actors and a student crew, there's so many good moments packed in that movie that you almost forget it was first time learning experience for everyone. Don (Rip) WAS his character and Chelsea (Becky) was such a little darling. Their off-screen chemistry definitely shows up in the movie. The special making-of and commentary track add a lot of value to the DVD. It's like a bit of film school on disc. If we could do it over again, there are so many things that would be different. Like spending twice as long developing the story, not leaving audio as an afterthought, and training freshman on basics BEFORE we got on set. :) Even so, I have to say that despite some of its flaws, "Angel in Chains" is still a really solid piece I am proud of. It's a beautiful looking film and shows the meaning of true acceptance in a way that usually doesn't get presented from the Christian market.

Here's looking forward to the next one!