A Prayer for the Dying (1987)

Martin Fallon is an IRA bomber who tries to blow up a troop truck but instead kills a bus load of school children. He loses heart and quits the movement and goes to London trying to leave ... See full summary »

Director:

Mike Hodges

Writers:

Jack Higgins (novel), Edmund Ward (screenplay),

Stars:

Mickey Rourke, Bob Hoskins, Alan Bates

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

Storyline

Martin Fallon is an IRA bomber who tries to blow up a troop truck but instead kills a bus load of school children. He loses heart and quits the movement and goes to London trying to leave the U.K. and start a new life. The IRA wants him back (he knows too much) and the local crime boss, Meehan, will only help him if he performs one last hit, on a rival crime boss. When Fallon does perform the hit, he is seen by a catholic priest. He refuses to kill an innocent again and must find a way to escape the police without killing the priest who can identify him.

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Plot Keywords:

terrorism | violence | irish republican army | blind woman | blindness | 

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 September 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

En messe for en morder

Filming Locations:

Canning Town, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$1,432,687 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Franc Roddam was going to direct, but left due to creative differences.

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Quotes

Anna: You turned your back on killing. So has Martin Fallon.
Father Michael Da Costa: I'm not so sure he has!

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Crazy Credits

The end credits begin to roll up from behind the amusement park rides on the horizon.

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Connections

Referenced in The Boondock Saints (1999)

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Soundtracks

"Angelus"
(uncredited)
Traditional

User Reviews

Blood and tears

Superb. Thought-provoking. Gritty. A very rare find.

A kind of restrained action movie shot in a manner of "Black Eagle" with a very deep psychological implication. I'm thankful to our TV that it aired this film during the dark transition times in our country. The final scene is, probably, the best psychological scene to ever appear in an action flick. No spoilers here, because you should see it.

It helps to fill the futility of down-to-earth existence and the power of salvation, which is so near and so simple but at the same time cannot be obtained so easily. Blood and tears, crying and praying.

An excellent cast must be mentioned. For instance, Mr Arnold would have demolished this subtle picture.

A "cornerstone" movie of the 20th century cinema - one of those movies, which make me respect American film industry. The highest achievement in the genre "drama". Should be mentioned together with "Ben-Hur", "Ostrov", "Solyaris", and "Once upon a Time in China".

10 out of 10. Thank you for attention.