A Prayer for the Dying

1987

A Prayer for the Dying (1987)

TOMATOMETER

56%

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Critic Consensus: No consensus yet.

AUDIENCE SCORE

54%

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Movie Info

A man struggling to escape the political unrest of Northern Ireland finds that his violent past still follows him in this drama. Martin Fallon (Mickey Rourke) is a terrorist with the Irish Republican Army who, while attempting to blow up a British military transport, accidentally bombs a bus full of schoolchildren. The incident haunts Fallon, who decides to quit the IRA and escape to London. Fallon wants to relocate to America, but he lacks a passport, and his criminal past would prevent him from getting one. Jack Meehan (Alan Bates), a British gangster who knows about Fallon's past, offers him a deal -- he can get Fallon the papers and the cash to go to America, but in return he must kill a man. A priest, Father De Costa (Bob Hoskins), witnesses Fallon committing the murder, and Fallon wants to find a way to keep De Costa quiet without putting more blood on his hands. The original director of A Prayer for the Dying, Franc Roddam, left the production midway through shooting due to disputes with the producers, and star Mickey Rourke later attempted to disassociate himself from the film.

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Cast

Mickey Rourke
as Martin Fallon
Bob Hoskins
as Father Michael Da Costa
Alan Bates
as Jack Meehan
Sammi Davis
as Anna
Christopher Fulford
as Billy
Liam Neeson
as Liam Docherty
Alison Doody
as Siobhan Donovan
Camille Coduri
as Jenny
Ian Bartholomew
as Kristou
Mark Lambert
as Ainsley
Cliff Burnett
as Fred Varley
Anthony Head
as Rupert
David Lumsden
as Lance
Leonard Termo
as Bonati
Maurice O'Connell
as Miller
Karl Johnson
as Fitzgerald
Peggy Aitchison
as Mrs. Orton
Stanley Beard
as Krasko
James Saxon
as Ellerman
Ken Sharrock
as Gaskin
George Shane
as O'Connor
Alan Talbot
as Barman
Ian McElhinney
as Lodger
Mark Monero
as Boy
Dave Duffy
as Publican
Robert Hamilton
as Husband
Margaret Wade
as Wife
Peter Needham
as Cemetery Superindentent
Norman Warwick
as Priest
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Critic Reviews for A Prayer for the Dying

All Critics (9) | Top Critics (1)

The good intentions seem frivolous and what starts out to be a study of a senseless violence in Northern Ireland ends in a senseless study of troubled personalities.

Oct 9, 2016 | Full Review…
United Press International

Muses on the difficulty once violent men have in ridding themselves of the mark of Cain.

Aug 27, 2004 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
Spirituality and Practice

Tense, Completely original and well-acted.

Sep 18, 2002 | Rating: 3/5
Moviehole

"it's in need of salvation"

Jul 29, 2002 | Rating: 2/5
Kalamazoo Gazette
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Audience Reviews for A Prayer for the Dying

½

This above average thriller is rife with ludicrous performances and ripe in symbolism, even down to the blind girl Mickey Rourke falls for. Almost worth it for Bob Hoskins as a priest beating someone over the head with a dustbin lid!

Dean McKenna
Dean McKenna

Super Reviewer

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