No God, No Master
No God, No Master
PG-13 | 11 April 2014 (USA)
No God, No Master Trailers

A plot to overthrow the United States government is uncovered in New York City in the summer of 1919 when William Flynn, a field agent for the Bureau of Investigation, is sent to investigate a bomb threat that has targeted some of America's most powerful politicians and leaders of commerce, New York millionaire John D. Rockefeller, Sr. among them. Flynn's investigation takes him on a journey into the underworld of homegrown terrorism and introduces him to a competitive culture of violence and murder. Greed, power, and politics are at the center of the story and Flynn must distinguish the villains from the merely discontented. Along the way, he discovers that terrorism has many faces and that a determination of guilt or innocence often lies in the psychology of fear that constricts individuals at every level of society. Sedona International Film Festival.

Reviews
targa9

This movie started off with a bang , and we have crack FBI agent Flynn investigating a bomb in 1920 New England. Strathairn is always fun to watch, and is utterly convincing, but why he took this insulting script is beyond me. The film quickly devolves into "big bad businessmen vs little immigrant worker" propaganda of the sappiest kind. Set pieces and the lead character's side romance with his neighbor Conchetta (the Irish gets together with the Italians)are fine, as is the casting (with the exception of Flynn's young wooden protege, also an "Italiano"). The direction and pacing are also good. The film bravely insinuates (in)famous anarchists such as Emma Goldman and Sacco and Vanzetti. But the script moves away from detectivework and finding the culprits (there is very little detail given, to preaching about the dangers of nativism, and treats the anarchists as one-dimensional heroes, instead of the violent murderers they very possibly were, which I found insulting and spoiled the movie.Don't expect a detective movie; expect a cringey sermon.

... View More
Oslo Jargo (Bartok Kinski)

No God, No Master (2013) is thoroughly ridiculous in its attempts to unify some type of coherent story by putting together a conglomeration of notorious events and characters (Industrial Workers of the World, John D. Rockefeller, Sacco and Vanzetti, The Palmer Raids (1919 and 1920), Emma Goldman, and J. Edgar Hoover, into a debilitated storyline.The acting is horrendously weak, the script, loose and dead, and I even noticed many mistakes (camera light in automobile windshield reflection, reflection of a modern skyscraper apartment in a shop window, the "yellow lines" of a modern road that were heaped with dirt but still visible).At its most simplistic, No God, No Master is merely a torrid attempt at anarchist propaganda. Most of the scenes are contrived and stilted, and the budget hampers the effective power.It is average. Reds (1981), The Molly Maguires (1970), Germinal (1993) and Matewan (1987) (which also had David Strathairn) are far superior films.

... View More
jimsboatworks

This is a nice period piece that was a married by the distortion of facts about Galliani and his anarchy thugs and their roll in bombings and robberies in 1919-1920. Let's establish a few facts not touched on or distorted in the film- The first batch of bombs in April 1919, numbered 36 bombs, they were intended to be delivered on May Day (Communist Workers holiday). Half were not delivered to insufficient postage. Only one other detonated when a Georgia Senator's housekeeper opened the package, she's was horribly injured. No boy on a bike was blown up as the movie shows. On June 2 1919, eight 25lb dynamite and shrapnel bombs were blown up simultaneously. Addressees included government officials who had endorsed anti-sedition laws and deportation of immigrants suspected of crimes or associated with illegal movements, as well as judges who had sentenced anarchists to prison. These bombs only succeed in killing a night watchman. The film doesn't mention the 1910 bombing of the LA Times, which is actually the first terror bombing in the US, not the 1920 bombing of Wall Street, another deliberate lie in the film. The way they try to show that they were struggling workers all innocent of attempting to kill officials and some corporate board members is just sad. The attempt at making the two robbers look heroic giving their speeches at their sentencing is pitiful attempt at communist spin. Modern socio-communist filmmakers ruined what could have been a great factual historic drama. Too bad.

... View More
Tony Heck

"Without blood shed there is no progress. Anarchy now, anarchy forever." During the summer of 1919 a series of bombs begin to show up in New York. The targets are prominent politicians and businessmen and the man investigating is William Flynn (Strathairn), an agent with the U.S. Bureau of Investigation. What he uncovers is an anarchy group bent on destroying the government. Wvweything is going great and he is on the trail of the ones in charge, then the F.B.I. shows up to help. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this going in, in fact I knew so little about it that I didn't even know it was based on a true story. When I found that out I became more interested and 5 minutes in to the movie I was sucked in. This movie captivated me and had me yelling at the TV in some spots. It's very interesting to see how events that happened 100 years ago are almost identical to what is happening today, have we learned nothing? The movie will suck you in and anger you all at once. That is the sign of a great movie. I don't want to say too much about it but if you thought J.Edgar Hoover was bad once he got power wait till you see him before. Overall, one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. If you liked the Untouchables you will love this. I easily give this an A.

... View More