The Cross and the Switchblade

Long before faith-based films became a regular feature of mainstream movie theaters, there was "The Cross and The Switchblade." The film was made squarely within the Hollywood system, yet was set apart by its producers' unashamedly Christian vision. It went on to become a worldwide ministry phenomenon and it stands among the early sparks that ignited today's growing Christian film movement. Based on David Wilkerson's same-titled 1963 autobiography, the film depicts the unlikely efforts of a "skinny country preacher" to bring change to the desperate lives of gang members living and dying on the mean streets of New York City. Among those whose lives were transformed was notorious gang-leader Nicky Cruz who went on to lead a decades-long outreach to gang members and other distressed young people. Wilkerson's mission to tell lost and hurting young people that there was a better way through Jesus Christ, blossomed into the Times Square Church and the international ministry of World Challenge whose mission is to bring lasting holistic change to individuals and communities. Although this 1970 film bears the style of a different era, the life-changing solution that David Wilkerson brought to desperate lives remains forever relevant. And 50 years later, for all its retro elements the film still stands up to scrutiny as a well-written, stylishly-produced movie featuring sincerely passionate performances. The story lives on in the book, in this film, but more importantly in the legacy of lives transformed by the message that no one is ever so far gone that they cannot find the way home.