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IMDb > A Prayer for the Dying (1987)
A Prayer for the Dying
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A Prayer for the Dying (1987) More at IMDb Pro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.2/10   1,168 votes
Director:
Mike Hodges
Writers:
Jack Higgins (novel)
Edmund Ward (screenplay) ...
more
Release Date:
11 September 1987 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Drama more
Plot:
Martin Fallon is an IRA bomber who tries to blow up a troop truck but instead kills a bus load of school children... more | add synopsis
NewsDesk:
Bad-Boy Rourke Asks For Second Chance (From WENN. 31 August 2000)
User Comments:
A Prayer for the Lying more

Cast

 (Cast overview, first billed only)

Mickey Rourke ... Martin Fallon

Bob Hoskins ... Father Michael Da Costa

Alan Bates ... Jack Meehan

Sammi Davis ... Anna

Christopher Fulford ... Billy Meehan

Liam Neeson ... Liam Docherty
Leonard Termo ... Bonati
Camille Coduri ... Jenny Fox
Maurice O'Connell ... Superintendant Miller

Alison Doody ... Siobhan Donovan
Karl Johnson ... Fitzgerald
Ian Bartholomew ... Kristou
Peggy Aitchison ... Mrs. Orton
Cliff Burnett ... Fred Varley

Anthony Head ... Rupert
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Additional Details

Runtime:
Germany:105 min | USA:107 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Colour:
Colour (Metrocolor)
Sound Mix:
Dolby
MOVIEmeter: ?
^ 58% since last week why?

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
John Scott composed a rejected score. more
Goofs:
Continuity: At the beginning credit Liam Neeson is credited as Docherty. In most of the film everybody calls him Mulachy. more
Quotes:
Anna: You turned your back on killing. So has Martin Fallon.
Father Michael Da Costa: I'm not so sure he has!
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Boondock Saints (1999) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
12 out of 19 people found the following comment useful:-
A Prayer for the Lying, 2 October 2004
4/10
Author: DwightFry from Burela, Lugo, Spain

Let's get things straight. I was raised Catholic, and in a very religious family, and spent as much time at church and talking to priests as at home. That was useful for two things: to make a convinced Atheist out of me, and to give me deep, insightful knowledge about the Church and its dogmas. And I say: if a Catholic priest witnesses a murder, and clearly sees the face of the killer, he CAN report it to the police, even if the murderer has confessed to him afterwards. He can not reveal what he's told in confession, but he CAN talk about anything he sees outside that, and confession is useless to keep his mouth shut. So, here we have a movie entirely sustained on a lie. And another lie is there's no absolution for murder. According to the Catholic Church, there's absolution for any sin as long as there's sincere repentance. So far, the biggest plot holes in this weak thriller.

As people frequently say, this movie would have improved if Bob Hoskins and Alan Bates had switched roles. Hoskins is naturally suitable to play gangsters (I will never lament enough that he lost Al Capone in favor of one of De Niro's weakest performances in "The Untouchables") and Bates' features would have been perfect as the priest with a gray past. But above that, I think the film would have been much better had real-life Ulster native Liam Neeson (back then mostly unknown to big audiences) played Mickey Rourke's part. Not only his face is perfect to play tormented characters, but he'd make us believe the character as real, something Rourke just can't. Back in the 80s, Rourke was not a bad actor (afterwards he seemed to lose his talent along with his looks), but he was one of those performers, like Brad Dourif, who's as good as the director he works with. And as a former IRA terrorist, Rourke's acting comes across more like a pimp. Sad to think that, had this movie been made just some three to six years later (when Neeson achieved moderate celebrity status in 1990 with Sam Raimi's enjoyable "Darkman", an superstardom in 1993 with "Schindler's List", while Rourke became pretty much of a forgotten has-been), Liam and Mickey could have switched parts to greater benefit (Rourke would have been effective in the supporting role of Docherty, but just can't carry this movie along as the lead). Yet another missed opportunity, and yet another film with the potential of being a classic, that became instantly forgettable fare.

Ironically enough, the often criticized score (by underrated composer Bill Conti) worked for me. I didn't find it overly-melodramatic, but suitably gritty and beautiful. It reminded me of Howard Shore's score for "The Silence of the Lambs". Here's to Mike Hodges' talent, who made "Get Carter", yes, but don't forget he's the mastermind behind "Flash Gordon" as well...

It seems the film was massacred in the cutting room (it shows, as some parts are really choppy and confusing, and others just don't glue) and a Director's Cut is waiting to see the light. OK, but I seriously doubt that will make it a great movie, as we'll still have the bad casting and the false premise there. 4/10.

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Message Boards

Discuss this title with other users on IMDb message board for A Prayer for the Dying (1987)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Where to find the soundtrack? ae_woodall
The Book... bastet303
Grateful to Rourke Cristi_Ciopron
When is the Director's Cut going to get release on DVD: Region 2? ninfilms
'Goofs', goof? michaeldyoung
CLASSIC SOUNDTRACK. ozzybat
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