Courageous is a movie that spotlights the responsibility of parents to set good examples for their children. Although it is mired in religion, the story contains some very humorous scenes along with the drama that is the focal point of the film. In the movie, four law enforcement officers and one blue collar worker discover that their families are more important than their own lives.

A better title for this movie would be "Faith in God."  Courageous focuses on five men who each have different relationships with their children. When a tragedy strikes one of the families they look at their roles as fathers and decide that they cannot let that take second place to their own lives. Instead of thinking what they "should have" done, they take stock in their behavior and start to change. They become more influential in their children's lives and decide they need to set the bar for the young people who will in turn set the bar for their own children in the future. 

If non-Christians can get past the religious references to Jesus, Courageous is a good combination of some light-heartedness, drama, soul searching, responsibility and there is even a tense shoot-em-up scene that is worthy of a Dirty Harry movie - without the killing. 

Adam, Nathan, Shane and David are county Sheriff officers in rural Georgia. They combine their experiences as law enforcement officers and fathers to become a tightly knit group dedicated to doing right by their God and families. Along with Javier Martinez, who becomes part of their inner-circle, the group creates and signs a resolution that will guide their lives as men and fathers. They dedicate themselves to setting the best examples for their families. This comes at a price for two of them. When Javier must decide between doing the right thing or keeping his job, he searches his heart for the answer. And when one of the men does something illegal, the rest of them must decide the right thing to do in that situation.

Courageous is a touching and heartening movie. While it is filled with religious dialogue, the plot along with some very funny scenes make this film worth watching. We all go through times of soul-searching. Some people turn to religion to help them through bad times. The families in this film all struggle with personal problems yet their desire to forge on and do the right thing is what gets them through the bad times. 

Religion aside, this is an inspiring story. Courageous is a family-friendly film that will touch your heart and your conscience.