Priest
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Movie Reviews of Priest
Movie Review: great but sad movie
Summary: 4 Stars
love the drama on the movie but hate that at the end he didnt do anything about it and it looks like ppl didnt forgive him for what he didMovie Review: Stifled by its inability to remain neutral...
Summary: 3 Stars
Controversy surrounds this drama about a priest coming to terms with his own dark secrets. While the overall emotional climax never falters in its ability to derail the audience, the film for me falls short in some key areas. That said, it also rises in a big way in a major area (the acting) which is probably the most essential area in which a film of this nature can excel.
We have to believe these characters, and thanks to Linus Roache and Tom Wilkinson, we do.
The film tells the story of Father Greg Pilkington, a likable young priest who is harboring a dark secret regarding his sexuality to promises to destroy him if it ever is revealed. This secret and its destructive nature causes Father Pilkington (and the audience) to question the rules between sex and religion, a controversial (taboo) subject if ever there was one, especially in this day and age. In the handling of this subject, the film succeeds in some areas, but overall it winds up becoming a tad too preachy. I much prefer my films to add layers of ambiguity, especially when they concern subjects that are widely disagreed on. You never want to feel as though a film is telling you how to feel if you don't feel the way they want you to. I look at films like `Dead Man Walking' or `4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days', films that presented very controversial subjects in a way that alienated no one because we are still left to decide for ourselves what side of the tracks we stand on. I didn't feel that way with `Priest'. I also felt that the unnecessary sub-plot with the abused girl was yet another way for the film to `tell us what to feel' without having to spell it out, and I found it more of a distraction than anything else.
Another issue I have with the film is that the production itself feels rather cheap at times, like a `made for television' film, and that took away from the gritty rawness this type of film needs to really `go there'.
But, a major selling point here is the two key performances, that of Linus Roache and Tom Wilkinson. Roache has a very complex and emotionally taxing character to portray, and he could have easily fallen into a clichéd portrayal (ala Tom Hanks in that `Philadelphia' film) but instead he really dug deep into his character and drew out a fantastically meaningful and absorbing performance. We know this man and we understand this man and his `sins' haunt us. Even more impressive to me was Tom Wilkinson, who got saddled with some of the films more `preachy' moments. The way he handled it is highly commendable, for he makes the most straightforward of Hollywood `spoon-feeding' palatable. You swallow everything he feeds you with no hesitation.
Great, and I mean G-R-E-A-T performance.
In the end I must admit to being slightly disappointed with `Priest' as a whole. It had the promise of delivering an insightful and poignant look at a taboo subject, but instead fell into a clichéd and force-fed delivery that took away from the haunting nature of the film.
Movie Review: Good Church setting, lousy plot
Summary: 3 Stars
"Priest" (SPOILERS AHEAD) was about a young idealistic priest who could not ignore his own sexual needs or his inner conflicts over the demands of his position. It was most successful in showing the interactions within a small poor urban Catholic community. The way the congregants reacted to things mirrored what I had seen in protestant congregations as a child, and helped me to understand more about how the modern Catholic church operates. The young priest, who had a homosexual lover and was caught by the police on a morals charge, seemed a little too dense at times. I got tired of his deer-in-the-headlights behavior, and could not believe that consensual sex between two men would generate a 40-point headline in a local tabloid. I gave it an A for the church story and a D for plot development.Movie Review: Attrocious
Summary: 1 Stars
As opposed to many other viewers who were left teary eyed at the end of this film. I was outraged. The gay priest has no problems breaking his vows of celibacy and acting on his homosexual impulses. But he is reluctant to break the confession of a young girl (who is obviously begging him for help)who is being repeatedly raped by her own father. This is hypocrisy in its highest form. I can scarcely believe that people are sidding with this morally reprehensible man. I was hopping the entire movie the congregants would reject him for his two faced hyporcrisy. I don't know. Either this film is wrongly conceived or children just don't matter anymore.
It made me ashamed as a Christian. No wonder the secular world is disgusted with the Church.