Themes: Terrorism, Haunted By the Past, Going Straight
Main Cast: Mickey Rourke, Bob Hoskins, Alan Bates, Sammi Davis, Christopher Fulford, Liam Neeson
Release Year: 1987
Country: UK
Run Time: 104 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
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. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Alison Doody - Siobhan Donovan; Camille Coduri - Jenny; Ian Bartholomew - Kristou; Mark Lambert - Ainsley; Cliff Burnett - Varley; Anthony Head - Rupert; David Lumsden - Lance; Leonard Termo - Bonati; Stanley Beard - Krasko; Dave Duffy - Publican; Karl Johnson - Fitzgerald; Ian McElhinney - Lodger; Mark Monero - Boy; Peter Needham - Cemetery Superindentent; Maurice O'Connell - Miller; Ken Sharrock - Gaskin; Alan Talbot - Barman; Peggy Aitchison - Mrs. Orton; Robert Hamilton - Husband; James Saxon - Ellerman; George Shane - O'Connor; Margaret Wade - Wife; Norman Warwick - Priest
Credit
Debbie McWilliams - Casting, Mary Selway - Casting, Evangeline Harrison - Costume Designer, Terry Needham - First Assistant Director, Mike Hodges - Director, Peter Boyle - Editor, Bill Conti - Composer (Music Score), Martyn Hebert - Production Designer, Evan Hercules - Production Designer, Michael Garfath - Cinematographer, Peter Snell - Producer, Ian Scoones - Special Effects, Chris Munro - Sound/Sound Designer, Martin Grace - Stunts, Colin Skeaping - Stunts, Nick Hobbs - Stunts, Martin Lynch - Screenwriter, Edmund Ward - Screenwriter, Jack Higgins - Book Author
