"LEFT BEHIND"
(2000) (Kirk Cameron, Brad Johnson) (PG-13)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Minor	Moderate	Extreme	Moderate	Heavy
Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Minor	Minor	Moderate	None	Minor
Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Minor	Mild	Moderate	Mild	Heavy

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QUICK TAKE:

Drama: After millions of people suddenly vanish off Earth, those who are left behind try to figure out what happened and why.

PLOT:

Buck Williams (KIRK CAMERON) is a young TV reporter who's interviewing scientist/researcher Chaim Rosenzweig (COLIN FOX) in Jerusalem about a breakthrough he's made in feeding the world's population. A sudden military attack on Israel interrupts them, but suddenly day turns into night and the attacking planes begin exploding and falling from the sky without ever being fired upon.

Meanwhile in Chicago, airline pilot Rayford Steele (BRAD JOHNSON) has just received a call that he has to head out early for a flight to London, much to the disapproval of his wife Irene (CHRISTINE MacFADYEN). It seems that their marriage is rather rocky, and she's upset that he'll miss the birthday party for his son, Raymie (JACK MANCHESTER), as will their 20-year-old daughter, Chloe (JANAYA STEPHENS), who's headed back to school.

Back in New York, Buck meets with Dirk Burton (JACK LANGEDIJK), a paranoid informant who tells him that some unscrupulous investment bankers, Johnathan Stonegal (DANIEL PILON) and Joshua Cothran (TONY DE SANTIS), are behind Rosenzweig's invention and are somehow involved with Nicolae Carpathia (GORDON CURRIE), an up and coming United Nations official.

Despite his wife's objections, Rayford sets out for his transatlantic flight with flight attendant Hattie Durham (CHELSEA NOBLE), who he's apparently having or is ready to have an affair with. Also on board is Kirk who also knows Hattie and has helped get her a job in the United Nations, with this being her last day in the air. Before she can celebrate, however, panic strikes the airliner when various people suddenly vanish in mid-flight, leaving only a pile of their clothing behind.

Rayford returns the flight to Chicago only to learn that millions of people have disappeared around the world, including his wife and son, and mass panic has broken out. While Rayford and Chloe console each other and find religion with the aid of Pastor Bruce Barnes (CLARENCE GILYARD) who briefly loses but then regains his own faith after this cataclysmic event, Buck sets out to figure out what's going on, eventually leading him to an encounter with none other than the Antichrist who's determined to rule the world.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?

Those with strong Christian beliefs or who've been told by their pastor to see the film may go, as might those who are fans of anyone in the film, but it's unlikely most other kids will want to see it.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13

For violence.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:

To prevent giving away the ending and the main villain's identity, that characteristic isn't included in the listing below.

KIRK CAMERON plays a TV reporter who tries to figure out what's happened to everyone who's vanished and who or what may be responsible for that.

BRAD JOHNSON plays an unhappily married airline pilot who's been having or is ready to have an affair with a flight attendant. After his wife and son disappear, he becomes born again and sees everything from a Christian perspective.

JANAYA STEPHENS plays his daughter who's concerned about his relationship with her mother and then grieves over her and her brother's disappearance.

CHELSEA NOBLE plays the flight attendant with whom Rayford has been having an affair or has tempted him into being ready for one.

CLARENCE GILYARD plays the local pastor who finds his faith shaken after everyone disappears.

COLIN FOX plays a scientist of sorts who's come up with a way to feed everyone on Earth.

GORDON CURRIE plays a U.N. official who becomes more powerful as more people vanish and the United Nations takes control of the world.

DANIEL PILON and TONY DE SANTIS play investment bankers who've been plotting to take over the world in their own underhanded way.

JACK LANGEDIJK plays a paranoid informant of Buck's who thinks he's uncovered some corruption and other wrongdoing related to Chaim's work.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

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Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

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OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

The following is a brief summary of the content found in this PG-13 rated drama. Violence consists of several people being murdered (via gunshots and an explosion) -- but most of that occurs just off camera (except for the explosion that doesn't show the person) - as well as attempted lethal violence, some military-based attacks, a few instances of struggling and some injured people from a car pile-up. Some of those victims are bloody (including the sight of bloody bullet hole in a man's head) and some of those scenes and others may be unsettling or suspenseful to some viewers.

Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, including a married man having or prepared to have an affair and several other characters who want to take over the world, including the Antichrist. Some tense family moments are present in the form of an unhappy marriage as well as survivors grieving over the disappearances/deaths of their loved ones.

Beyond that, a few characters drink, some smoke and a young woman has a pierced nostril while another has tattoos. Should you still be concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may wish to see it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed content listings for more specific examples of what occurs in the film.

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ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE

A man on a plane appears to have a drink.

A woman drinks in a bar where Buck also has a beer.

BLOOD/GORE

We see some bloodied people at the scene of a large car wreck.

We see a clothed body with a little bit of blood on it (some blood from the mouth, some on the shirt).

Buck has a bloody cut on his leg after being too close to an explosion.

After a man has been shot, we see a somewhat bloody bullet hole in his head.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE

Stonegal and Cothran have bad attitudes with their plans of taking over the world and apparently being responsible for Dirk's death.

It's heavily suggested that Rayford is having or wants to have an affair with Hattie (there's some talk of that and we briefly see them kiss).

After being involved in a massive car accident, a man steals Chloe's vehicle.

The Antichrist, who's been hiding in the guise of one of the characters, obviously has both and kills several people during his plot to take over the world.

FRIGHTENING SCENES

Scenes listed under "Violence" may also be unsettling or suspenseful to some viewers.

During a plane flight, various passengers suddenly panic when they can't find family members who were with them and have left behind only a pile of their clothes. That whole aspect of millions of people suddenly vanishing - and the aftermath of that - may be unsettling to some viewers.

We see a man aiming a sniper rifle at Buck (and the man fires at him, but misses).

A man walks around others with a gun (with us knowing what will follow) and then shoots and kills two people.

GUNS/WEAPONS

Various military jets/tanks/helicopters: Seen on the move, with the jets firing missiles that explode around Buck and others.

Rifles/Other Weapons: Carried by soldiers/national guardsmen.

Handguns/Sniper rifle: Used by various characters to threaten or kill others. See "Violence" for details.

Car bomb: Used to destroy a car and kill the man inside it.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR

Phrases: "Nuts" (crazy) and "What the heck?"

We see that Chloe has a pierced nostril, while a friend/associate of Buck's has various tattoos on her body.

JUMP SCENES

A car suddenly explodes.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)

A moderate amount of suspenseful music plays during the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)

None.

PROFANITY

At least 2 uses of "Oh God" are present as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY

There are strong implications that Rayford and Hattie are having/had an affair and we briefly see them kiss.

SMOKING

Dirk smokes once, while a friend/associate of Buck's smokes several times.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES

We see that Rayford and his wife don't have a good marriage (possibly due to their religious differences and probably because of the implications that he's having an affair with Hattie) and she becomes upset when Rayford has to leave unexpectedly early for work and will thus miss their son's birthday party. Chloe and Rayford briefly talk about that strained marriage (she confronting him about it).

During a plane flight (and then in other scenes in other locales), various people panic when they suddenly can't find family members who were with them and have left behind only a pile of their clothes.

Rayford and Chloe become upset when they discover and then finally accept that the rest of their family has vanished.

After Hattie shows up at their home and then leaves, Chloe (suspecting the affair), confronts her dad about that.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT

The thought of Christians being swept into Heaven with those who are left behind having to deal with the Antichrist.

The film's blatant, pro-Christian message and whether it will have the effect on non-believers as the filmmakers apparently intended or will turn off those it's trying to reach.

VIOLENCE

Military jets fire their missiles that explode near Buck and others. Inexplicably, many of the fighters begin exploding and falling to the ground.

Dirk briefly grabs Buck by the shirt while trying to get his point across to him.

A panicked man on a flight tries to open the hatch door and both Rayford and Buck struggle with and must tackle him to the floor to prevent him from doing that.

We see some bloodied people at the scene of a large car wreck where various vehicles are damaged.

We briefly see some men pushing each other over using a pay phone.

Upset that his wife and son are now missing, Rayford breaks down, and while doing so, picks up a Bible and heaves it against a mirror, shattering the latter.

Sensing him to be a danger (which he isn't), a national guardsman aims his pistol at Buck and makes him back away.

Buck finds Dirk's slightly bloody body in his ransacked home and sees that he's been murdered.

A sniper fires many shots at Buck, hitting a computer monitor in front of him (but missing - purposefully or not - Buck).

Upset with religion, a pastor throws a ball (or something similar) and knocks down a cross in his church.

A car bomb explodes, destroying the car, killing the man inside and slightly injuring Buck who was standing nearby.

A man shoots one man (we don't see the impact or the body) and then shoots another man (we see the body with a somewhat bloody bullet hole in the side of his head).

Reviewed January 26, 2000 / Posted February 2, 2001

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