‘Moses The Black’: A Must-See Film Where A Gangster Meets God
(REVIEW) One tragedy of Hollywood’s secular bent is that it has a hard time capturing many common, deeply important parts of human experience. Faith plays a role — often a huge role — in the lives of the majority of people throughout history. There is also a stunning variety to these stories. But Hollywood often misses this variety because it lacks firsthand experience with it.
“Moses the Black” is an independent film that fills this much-needed gap, exploring the connection many religious people have with historical saints. Moreover, it does so with a level of gritty authenticity and artistic quality typically missing in the faith-based space. This makes it a must-see for those who care about representing the richness of religious experience.
The film follows a Chicago gangster’s journey of reckoning. When notorious Chicago gang leader Malik (played by Omar Epps) gets out of prison, internal and external pressures push him into a gang war. But when his grandmother introduces him to Saint Moses the Black, it takes him down a road that will either save him or doom him.
READ: The Daily Wire Is Now Making Fantasy Shows — And They Aren’t Very Good
Inspired by the true story of the fourth-century saint of the same name, “Moses the Black” stars Omar Epps (Juice, “House”) as Chicago gang leader Malik, with multi-platinum-selling, Grammy- and Golden Globe-nominated recording artist Wiz Khalifa as 2wo-3ree, the confident and volatile head of Malik’s young crew locked in a power struggle for control against rival gang leader Straw, played by multi-platinum and Grammy-nominated recording artist Quavo (“Atlanta” and “Black-ish”). The role of St. Moses the Black is portrayed by Chukwudi Iwuji (“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and “Peacemaker”), with direction by Yelena Popovic (Man of God).
“Moses the Black” is a really well-made film. Writer-director Yelena Popovic is establishing herself as one of the strongest voices in the independent faith-based scene. The dialogue is sharp and feels natural. (The film doesn’t shy away from realistically portraying how much profanity would be used in these environments either).
The direction is intentional, with even tiny decisions — like whether to frame a scene in wide shot or close-up — effectively chosen for heightened emotional impact. The film’s double opening, which parallels Moses and Malik, focuses on both of their faces and places their connection and emotional states front and center.
The film deftly integrates people’s faith in ways that defy easy categorization, much like real life. Malik’s best friend and right-hand man offers him wise Christian counsel as a believer, but also gets rightly called out by Malik for being morally compromised.
Some truly strong performances sell everything Popovic is trying to accomplish. Omar Epps gives a deeply affecting portrayal of a stoic man on top of the world who slowly unravels — but for his own good. He is charismatic even while keeping everything buttoned up, and his vulnerability and integrity are palpable.
The corrupt FBI agent is gloriously over the top in a way that adds much-needed energy to the story, and his chemistry with other characters — particularly Epps in their single scene together — is spot-on. Chukwudi Iwuji has long had the uncanny ability to portray characters who are simultaneously otherworldly and heartbreakingly relatable (just watch “Peacemaker”), and he brings all of those elements to his portrayal of a historical saint. This makes Malik’s relationship with him feel both tangibly real and iconic.
There aren’t many movies that attempt to show what it’s like to have a connection with a saint. The idea of a “saint” has a long history in world religions, particularly in Catholicism. In the Nicene Creed, the early church called itself the “communion of saints.” Here, “saint” functioned more as a synonym for “believer” than as a title reserved for particularly holy individuals.
But in the 10th century, a formal process of canonization — official recognition of a particular saint — was initiated by Pope John XV. Gradually, the church developed a fixed process for canonization, requiring that the individual had lived a holy life and performed at least two miracles.
Hollywood has told stories about saints, and it has told many stories about people forming a connection with God and Jesus. But one defining feature of traditions like Catholicism is that, for millions of believers, a primary way of drawing closer to God is by finding a saint whose life reflects their own struggles. These saints provide a model — a path toward God forged through similar trials.
“Moses the Black” does an excellent job of viscerally exploring this particular spiritual experience. Moses’ and Malik’s lives are shown in parallel throughout the story, increasingly so as Malik’s mother gives him an icon of the saint and he wrestles with his grief over losing her.
This crescendos when Malik has a religious experience and speaks directly to Moses, bridging the gap between them and helping Malik discern what to do with his own life. This could easily have felt corny, but instead it comes across as heartbreakingly genuine.
The dynamic interplay between Malik gazing at icons and experiencing visions is the best depiction of traditional icon veneration I’ve seen on film. Whether Christians should venerate icons of saints — and whether such veneration crosses into worship that should be reserved for God alone — has divided Christians for most of church history.
Supporters argue that icon veneration directs devotion beyond the object itself and that honoring those devoted to God deepens one’s devotion to God. This movie probably does the best job of expressing this onscreen that I’ve seen.
The film isn’t perfect. Aside from Malik’s relationship with Moses, many of the plot beats — while well executed — are overwhelmingly familiar: the ex-con, the religious mother, gang violence and the corrupt FBI agent. The unique elements, while strong, don’t always take up enough space to make the film feel truly distinctive overall.
A few later scenes drift slightly into “come-to-Jesus” preachiness. The result is a film that will strongly appeal to viewers who love faith-infused stories paired with gritty realism and artistry. For others, however, there may be less that makes it stand out.
The rise of the faith-based film industry has given voice to far more varieties of religious experience. “Moses the Black” deserves a place in the culture as a shining example of when this is done right.
Fathom Entertainment will release “Moses the Black” in theaters nationwide on Jan. 30 for a one-week run.
Joseph Holmes is an award-nominated filmmaker and culture critic living in New York. He is co-host of the podcast “The Overthinkers” and its companion website theoverthinkersjournal.world, where he discusses art, culture and faith with his fellow overthinkers. His other work and contact info can be found at josephholmesstudios.com.