review for Blind Faith on AllMovie

The 1950s drama Blind Faith gets strong performances from Courtney B. Vance as an earnest lawyer and Charles S. Dutton as an obdurate father, and it addresses a variety of hot-button topics that wouldn't really blow up in this country for a few years after its time period. Despite several anguished portrayals and an almost unbelievable display of stubbornness by several main characters, Blind Faith fails to penetrate emotionally, perhaps because its conventional production values hew so close to that of a TV movie. The "safe" look of the film is especially dispiriting given that director Ernest R. Dickerson served as cinematographer for Spike Lee on his first half-dozen films. Framed by a modern story looking back on 1957, Blind Faith has the reflective "lessons learned" quality of an Eyes on the Prize-type civil rights piece, even though racism ends up being a red herring as the central source of conflict. The feeling is driven home by soulful gospel music also reminiscent of that milieu. None of this detracts from its quality, per se, but it does curb some of its gestures toward distinguished cinematic art. The film tells a worthwhile and original story, but tells it flatly, and strong acting can only partially close the gap. After its Sundance screening, Blind Faith went straight to video.