Praying For Armageddon examines the American fundamentalist evangelical movement and its growing connections to and influence over some elements of the U.S. government, including the military and foreign policy. While this connection is not exactly news to anyone who’s been following, well, the news over the past few years, it’s still a bit of a shock to see elected representatives saying things on camera like, “I believe Jesus will come back. And I’m gonna be on his side.” Isn’t this the same country whose constitution famously features a line about the separation of church and state? Then again, it’s also a country whose money proclaims “In God We Trust,” so mixed messaging is nothing new there.
Billing itself as a political thriller, Praying For Armageddon doesn’t exactly live up to that promise. Yes, it’s certainly political, and I suppose you could say there are some thrills, but while it’s a compelling story, it’s not quite Three Days Of The Condor or The Manchurian Candidate. What Praying For Armageddon does have going for it, though, is the fact that, unlike the other films I mentioned, this is real life – it’s all really happening. Which makes it all just a bit more frightening than your standard political thriller.