Six: The Mark Unleashed

Those who embrace the peculiar brand of apocalyptic Christian eschatology represented by the Left Behind series are the audience for this film set in the time known as the Tribulation, i.e., the seven-year period following the Rapture when the Antichrist rules before the second coming of Jesus, the battle of Armageddon, and the end of the world. In this modestly budgeted, highly melodramatic piece, the arch-villain is an Orwellian Big Brother type who executes (by guillotine, no less) those individuals, especially Christians, who refuse to accept an electronic implant that will make them his docile servants. Most of the action is set in a prison where three recent captives debate whether to accept the faith preached by a fellow con (played with smug sanctimoniousness by Stephen Baldwin), even as their dastardly wardens scheme to induce one of them to feign an escape and locate a proselytizer on the outside. Six is obviously designed to serve the same function that the lives of the martyrs did in the early church: namely, encourage believers to imagine themselves in difficult straits and strengthen their resolve to remain firm in the face of temptation. But while the picture may appeal to those who want their theological convictions buttressed, this heavy-handed effort cannot be recommended for most. [Note: DVD extras include a “making of” featurette, deleted scenes, and a blooper reel. Bottom line: a small extras package for a dismissible film.] (F. Swietek)