WoW Moviewatch: God's Gonna Cut You Down
by Michael Gray 
Apr 22nd 2011 at 12:00PM
Kidsake really did something amazing with this machinima. He managed to tell a haunting, interesting story without breaking out into obvious narrative. And while I'm obviously a lavish Johnny Cash fan, I think I can say without bias that the music was a perfect choice for the video's themes.
Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.Filed under: WoW Moviewatch
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
theRaptor Apr 22nd 2011 12:12PM
Wooo Johnny Cash!
I am a huge fan of Johnny, particularly of his work leading up to his death.
I also liked the machinima, it was an interesting visual style and very well crafted.
Adrianne Apr 22nd 2011 12:54PM
I usually don't like machinima but that was pretty awesome.
RetPallyJil Apr 22nd 2011 1:08PM
Johnny Cash is a national treasure, whose works transcend mere quibbles like "country" or "rock."
The video is very arty too - me likey!
Christine sessionWorkflowbasketWorkflowbasketSelectionbasketPerson[1]bookingPersonpersonsurname Apr 22nd 2011 1:10PM
Very cool storytelling.. the song really does fit the bill.. liked the stop motion tech. force perspective is a very interesting visual:)
Tim Apr 22nd 2011 1:37PM
I guess for what it was, it was ok. Didn't really tell the story or am I missing something. The stop motion with the other video inside it was pretty cool but I guess just really wasn't my cup of tea. On the other hand, I really liked the song. Any song that mentions Jesus, in my book, is good stuff.
Darren Apr 22nd 2011 1:54PM
"Any song that mentions Jesus, in my book, is good stuff."
Really?? What if it talks bad about him, says he doesn't exist, etc? Still good?
Artificial Apr 22nd 2011 5:09PM
While I'd normally agree, I've never cared for the "all you other people are gonna burn in Hell for not being like me" style of religion, and this song has always struck me that way. The "God fearing" types do a great disservice to God IMHO... they can't imagine a god that's better than they are. They'd love to "cut you down", so they imagine God's as vengeful as they are. A song that mentions Jesus really ought to carry a message more like, tell the liar, the gambler, the back-biter, sooner or later, God'll redeem you. Maybe I can't see that ever happening, but God's vision is not so limited...
vinniedcleaner Apr 22nd 2011 6:31PM
Johnny Cash came from an era of "Fire and Brimstone" preaching rather than the touchy-feely preaching of today, hence the 'cut you down' lyrics.
thebitterfig Apr 22nd 2011 7:22PM
Well, there's theology and there's art, as far as I'm concerned. I might not agree with the theology of Johnny Cash, but damn the Man In Black can perform. Likewise, there is a huge amount of Baroque and Classical music which is simply amazing regardless of religious persuasion. Vivaldi's Gloria is my go-to example.
Then, there's also the flip side, with theologically-neutral content takes the form of art that's part of religious tradition. Take a song like Paul Simon's Gone At Last. Basically, it's secular gospel. Link follows.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leWjp_CFt50
Luke Apr 23rd 2011 10:24PM
You guys are missing the point of this song. It has nothing to do with god, jesus or even religion. The entire message of the song is, "you get what's coming to you," and "everyone has to face death."
Cash was a Christian, but both his biographers and those close to him agree that what Johnny saw in Christ was redemption.
The narrative of this machinima even reflects that, only it does so subtly until the end.
Watch for the spirit healer.
Kunikenwad! Apr 22nd 2011 2:15PM
Fantastic video simply because it is so very different from everything else out there. And The Man in Black always rocks ... especially when set to a fascinating machinima that tells a story, just not in the way we expect it.
anonymous Apr 22nd 2011 2:20PM
I was a big Johnny Cash fan growing up but first heard this song the last time you featured this video and have literally spent days listening to it on repeat 1.
This video ranks up there with Blind and Frontline as the best of the best.
Angrycelt Apr 22nd 2011 3:43PM
Love this song, great video. Would heap more praise but I'm on my Droid, so typing is slow.
Tim Apr 22nd 2011 4:54PM
Ok. POSITIVELY about Jesus. That better for ya, Darren?
Dreyja Apr 22nd 2011 5:00PM
Ah I am so happy to see this one come around again. I agree with anonymous, while a completely different sort of movie, it is right up there with Blind in terms of quality and innovative story-telling.
And Johnny Cash is and will always be, The Man!
Tim Apr 22nd 2011 5:44PM
Mr. Cash was old school. That's how it used to be. Sinners in The Hands of an Angry God. God gets grieved and hurt by us being stupid and acting up but he loves everyone and hopes we all come to salvation through His Son, Jesus. If we don't ask Jesus to save us and forgive us our sin, that's where judgement, not vengeance, comes in. God doesn't want anyone to perish. It's the sad reality that some will. No one likes to hear that so they say God doesn't exist or Christians are stupid and mean. Some are. The truth hurts. God doesn't want anyone to perish. But man is broken and in need of a Savior whether we believe it or not. And love is the answer. God is love. Happy Good Friday.
thebitterfig Apr 22nd 2011 7:33PM
Or maybe the Unitarians are right, and the mere existence of Jesus saved everyone regardless of anything else. Or perhaps Muhammad's Koran superseded all previous, imperfectly presented texts. Or perhaps Gautama Buddha's observations on Samsara, suffering, illusion, and ultimately enlightenment were correct. Or...
But of course, the real reason for my reply: it gives me a chance to use tell my Benedict joke.
So there was an interfaith conference. Pope Benedict XVI, a Rabbi, a Baptist preacher, and an Imam were there. However, there was an explosion in the gas line underneath where they were meeting, and they were all killed. They found themselves at the gates of heaven. The Imam said he believed in the Koran and went through to meet God. He walked back out and said "how could I have been so wrong? It turns out Muhammad wasn't the Prophet..." and he walked off to hell. Next, the Rabbi said he always performed every Mitzvah he could, and went through the gate to meet God. He walked back out and said "how could I have been so wrong? It turns out Jesus was the son of God..." and he walked off to hell. Next, the Baptist preacher professed his belief in a personal savior and went through the gate to meet God. He walked back out and said "how could I have been so wrong? It turns out the reformation was a bad idea." Pope Benedict XVI smiled to himself and walked through to meet God. God's voice boomed out "how could I have been so wrong?"
Literaltruth Apr 22nd 2011 10:01PM
Or, you know, it could all be a load of fiction which not only contradicts itself but observed reality and empirical evidence. Just sayin'.
Tim Apr 23rd 2011 12:50PM
God created all of us with the knowledge of Him. It's a part of us just like DNA. Some deny it. Some believe. I chose to believe He's real and he sent His son to die in my place. All the people that saw him with accounts written down in what we call "History" can't all be wrong. I guess we'll all find out someday.
Luke Apr 23rd 2011 10:42PM
Not a bad machinima at all. I'm a huge fan of Cash, so the music is a particularly great choice.
Also, ladies and gentlemen of the jury.
Can we stop talking about the religious themes and focus more on the fact that this machinima and the creator's choice of music even is really an expression of existential dread?
Even though Cash was a Christian his choice of performing this song had little to nothing to do with God...
It's called metaphor people.