- published: 27 Feb 2013
- views: 152136
Courageous is a 2011 independent Christian drama film produced by Sherwood Pictures and was released to theaters on September 30, 2011. It is the fourth film by Sherwood Pictures, the creators of Flywheel, Facing the Giants, and Fireproof. Filming in Albany, Georgia concluded in June 2010. The film was marketed by Provident Films, which also marketed their previous films.
The film was directed by Alex Kendrick, who co-wrote its screenplay with his brother Stephen Kendrick. Kendrick also stars in the film, along with Ken Bevel, Kevin Downes, and former running-back Tony Stallings. About half of the cast and crew were volunteers from Sherwood Baptist Church, while the remainder were brought on through invitation-only auditions.
The film was produced with a budget of $2 million, but on its opening weekend it grossed $2 million in pre-sales alone and grossed $9.1 million total for the weekend. The film opened to mixed reviews from critics, but a rare A+ CinemaScore rating from filmgoers.
As the police force of Albany, Georgia, attempts to stop drug smuggling in the city, the sheriff urges his deputies to spend time with their families based on statistics that fatherless children are several times more likely than those with fathers to turn to lives of crime. Among his deputies are Adam Mitchell (Alex Kendrick), Nathan Hayes (Ken Bevel), Shane Fuller (Kevin Downes), and rookie David Thomson (Ben Davies). Mitchell adores his young daughter, but is distanced from his teenage son. Hayes never knew his biological father but would risk his life to save his children; however, his teenage daughter Jade (Taylor Hutcherson), resents him because of the strict rules that he has set for her dating life. Fuller is divorced, as were his parents before him, and must share joint custody of his son. The group also befriends Javier Martinez (Robert Amaya), an immigrant struggling to provide for his family, and Mitchell arranges a job for him.