A Prayer for the Dying (1987)

What a waste of my time!!!

Sorry, this movie sucks

Am I Missing Something?

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Let me start by saying that I was fortunate enough to be able to re-enact 2 scenes from this great film in college (theatre class). I played Fallon in the park meeting with Liam Neeson's character (played by another student). Our fellow thespians loved the intensity but were a bit perplexed by the slow pacing.Secondly,the scene with Fallon and the priest (at the pulpit)after Docherty is shot by his female partner.Maybe it's partly because of my Irish heritage, but I LOVED this film.The soundtrack features some lovely pennywhistles and a bittersweet melody. I,also, enjoyed the Bach Fugue (sic) though Fallon's organ playing didn't look that realistic to me (I play).Liam Neeson is wonderful, as always. The look on his face as Fallon turns away from him in the park is priceless.He knows he just signed his own death-warrant.Secondly, the previous scene where he announces "Here,here, I'll not go near this place" to the (funeral-worker) informer. What authority! Some memorable quotes: "I once saw some writin' on a wall in (London) Derry ... that said: is there a life before death?" and "I don't wanna keep waking-up hearing the screams of young children, I lost somethin a long time ago...everything" and the ending when Fallon asked God to "Please,please,please forgive me" then dies in the arms of the grateful priest. Wow! Also, Bates is terrific as devil/angel crimeboss and that line "I don't think you quite know who I am, Father". It truly could have been written about a mafioso or a gangbanger who is curved back in by people who believe he knows too much: ally or not The IRA wants him back (in their fold) or dead.Trust me : it happens daily in this country.In my humble opinion: Like Mel Gibson's Hamlet , Rourke is surrounded by some of the best actors in GB and gives a nearly perfect performance. Nuanced and understated yet with a quiet intensity that should have earned him an Oscar (or at least a nomination).Who did he anger to be so vilified by Hollywood's honchos?Lastly, Bates was said to have "chewed up the scenery" by a critic. Does anyone know what that means? Love to all, all over this blue planet !!!

Mickey Rourke is enjoying a renaissance at the moment... and fair play to him. I always liked his image and his acting ability in such fare as Angel Heart and Johnny Handsome. You know what you are going to get with Rourke - mean, moody, dirty. But this film gives you much more - and you don't want most of it.First and foremost - this whole thing just doesn't make sense. Rourke is a hardened IRA killer who after killing a bus-load of schoolchildren flees Ireland for London. He is on the run from the cops and from his own Army comrades. He has also vowed to never kill again. It looks like the bus full of kids finally did it for him.However, when he gets to London he is tracked down by a local mobster (Bates - looking like his eyebrows and hair came straight off a Burton's dummy) to kill his main competitor in turn for £50,000 and a boat trip to the US. Rourke reluctantly agrees to do it but is seen by a priest (Hoskins) and confesses the crime to him in the confessional in order to keep the priest's mouth shut. He figures it is better than killing him.A wealth of things arise here which just don't add up : 1. Why pick Rourke to off your competition? As is illustrated by a scene whereby an employee is pinned to a wall by a couple of heavies with what look like awls - these London guys are tough enough anyway to do their own killing. 2. Not only that but the Mobster gets a guy to follow Rourke and witness the killing with his own eyes. Why didn't that guy simply kill the competitor and save all the hassle of dealing with Rourke? 3. Hoskins sees the murder take place and the police let him go off - without protection, I may add - to take confession? No way. 4. Rourke hangs around the church (right next to where he carried out the murder ) immediately after the crime takes place to go to confession. Why aren't the cops checking the place out? 5. Rourke hangs around the church and Hoskin's blind niece in particular, for days afterwards without anybody bothering him. What? He's on the run and he stays put by the very place where he committed another murder? Stupid. 6. The cops actually meet Rourke in the church "fixing" the organ and have no idea who he is. Do they not know he is on the run for the school bus bombing? They don't even check up on him? 7. Why get Rourke to kill for you, and then tell him to wait around for a few days to get on the boat? You'd think you'd want to get rid of him immediately. Or kill him. One or the other? 8. Why does Bates' brother suddenly decide to rape the blind niece in the midst of all the waiting? Could he not restrain himself for a few days? At least until Rourke has been safely offed to the States? Ridiculous. 9. Rourke suddenly has inner turmoil after all his years of killing and wins over the blind niece immediately - even after she knows he is a killer, she still loves him? Again - utterly ludicrous. And besides - she falls in "love" with him in record time - a few days !!!! 10. The whole bomb thing at the end is just plain silly from Bates point of view. 11. Things happen in parts of this film that just do not make sense or are simply in there to help the storyline (and I say that in jest) along. Bates' houses Rourke in a whorehouse until the boat is ready to sail and Rourke suddenly displays a moral high ground to respect the whore in the house - but yet will bed a blind girl. 12. Rourke asks a henchman on the boat where Bates is - and the henchman practically spurts out the entire movements of his boss in less than 10 seconds. It was embarrassing - the guy was telling Rourke far more than he even asked. 13. Hoskin's priest is an ex-army guy and we see him beat up three henchmen behind a pub. Totally uncalled-for and yet another cringe-worthy scene.I'm gonna stop there at unlucky 13 without mentioning Rourke's hair (so falsely red it is laughable), his accent (which to be fair is not too bad sometimes but deteriorates to a barely heard mumble at other times), his clothes, walk, looks to the heavens etc. Nor will I mention the music and the choppy editing style.Oooppps - I have just mentioned them.Overall - a disaster of a film with some obvious religious imagery thrown in (Rourke on the cross, preaching from a pulpit) which would embarrass a first year film student never mind a top star and director.4/10.

A Prayer For The Dying is one of those films which had the ambitions to be well made film like many classic, but it falls on it face.It read stories that the film was re-edited behind the directors back and both Mike Hodges and Mickey Rourke have disowned the theatrical release. This is problem with the film, producers don't make good editors. There are some scenes which doesn't gel, and also the Bill Conti music is too melodramatic. Originally Mike Hodges hired John Scott too compose the soundtrack, then Samuel Goldwyn Jr didn't like it and got in Conti.I read that Mickey Rourke's Irish accent was badly criticized by critics. I actuality thought that Rourke accent was convincing enough and also he is an Irish-American. Rourke is one most under estimated actors around.Alan Bates is good as the Meehan, Bob Hoskins is reasonable as Costa even though at times he looks like he going to explode as a cockney gangster.According to Mike Hodges there is his cut of the film and that MGM own the rights and that there were going to release film on DVD in its correct form.I would like to see that happen as I said earlier it's an ambitious film along with Get Carter, but whereas Get Carter is a classic, A.P.F.D. falls on it face, because of people who meddled with the film not knowing what they are doing.

It is a mystery for me how the great movies sometimes fall through the cracks. I don't expect it to be everyone's favorite but being completely missed by almost everybody? It puzzles me. If you up for a tough and disturbing movie tonight rent it. You won't be disappointed.