jmillerdp Donald Bellisario has been busy cranking out dull TV product for decades (the sleep-inducing "NCIS" series, etc.) Here, he tosses out, thankfully!, his only movie project ever. Let's all kiss the ground for that at least, okay!This is hilariously awful! It is packed with tons of bad New York stereotypes. It inexplicably features an Irish dude (Berenger) badly trying to pass for Italian. And, worst of all? The impossibly stick-thin Daphne Zuniga is playing Mexican? Really?!Man, this is bad, BAD, B-A-D! And, the "twists" at the end will leave you shaking your head and desperately trying not to laugh. But, you will laugh, and you will laugh hysterically!(did I mention this movie wasn't good?)(1/2* Out of 10 Stars) - of course, IMDb will not let me do 1/2*!

Martin Onassis I'm a fan of Tom Berenger, and I'm not alone since he was a great leading man of the late 80s and 90s. He's younger here, cast as a priest, which stretches credulity a bit, but it's convincingly played and written by someone who clearly had a background in catholicism, which really permeates the entire film. Berenger being Italian doesn't exactly jibe with reality either, but again, its made plausible.The film has some decent action and surprises, with all the hallmarks of an 80s movie that relies on its plot, characters, some back lot sets, and period grit and debased attitude as well as slightly substandard film stock that still looks great. There's something about films that used to have to rely on characters and plots because they couldn't afford to blow tens of millions on effects.Regardless, Berenger as a priest, his friends, his awful sister, and his mob family are all played well. There are some issues with a third party female who plays a convincing damsel in distress that then does a 360. This is a bit much to take, as is Berenger's brutally manipulative and devious reaction, which seems so terribly out of character. However, when you give it some thought, a convincing rationale can come to mind, one of innocence lost, one in regards to family coming first and the mania of that within the mob taking over even a good son. There's a real subtext about the good or bad side to women that is taken a bit far, and makes the director/producer seem like a possible misogynist, but maybe that's how life went for him. Or maybe it's the destiny for Berenger's life as a priest. Regardless, it's better a film to me than a 5 or even 6. Popcorn fare that provides some angles to thoughtfully exploreIt's not ironclad as a film, and it's no landmark, but it's an 80s film that has aged well, and is entertaining, and the only parts that go wrong are mostly towards the end and don't go completely astray, though the twists are a bit heavy-handed.

Bjorn (ODDBear) A Catholic priest shields a woman from the mob. Trouble is; the mobsters in question are his family. And then the priest has more than a passing interest in the damsel in distress.A quick ramble on Berenger: The guy is one of my favorite actors. Having gotten a good break in the late 70's and early 80's his career was going downhill already by 1986. Enter a fantastic performance in Oliver Stone's "Platoon" (and an Oscar nomination), Berenger was suddenly on the A-list again. To play it safe; Berenger decided to work with established directors to further his career even more. He worked with Ridley Scott in "Someone to Watch Over Me" in 1987, did a solid film in Roger Spottiswoode's "Shoot To Kill" starring alongside Sidney Poitier and made quite a splash in Costa-Gavra's extreme political thriller "Betrayed" in 1988.To close off 1988 Berenger played the lead in "Last Rites". Directed by Donald P. Bellisario, a veteran in television (creator of "Magnum P.I.", "Airwolf" and "Quantum Leap" to name a few) but hardly an established film director. I have no idea of Berenger's personal faith and whether he wanted to really stick it to Catholic priests; but I simply don't get what was interesting to begin with in "Last Rites".The film opens well enough. A super sexy mobster gal, Zena (Anne Twomey), kills her husband (in quite a nasty way) when she catches him bedding another woman, Angela (Daphne Zuniga). Angela narrowly escapes and shortly thereafter goes to confession in Father Michael Pace's (Berenger) booth. As fate would have it; Pace is Zena's brother and therefore has direct ties to the mob. Pace decides to help Angela and keep his family from getting to her. He also starts to develop a sexual interest in Angela and eventually gives into his carnal desires. All the while the mobsters are closing in on them."Last Rites" offers up at least one miserable twist, a hopelessly boring middle section, some pathetic attempts at taking a stab at religion and an ending that takes far too long to reach it's predictable conclusion. Which is a shame 'cause it starts fairly well.Berenger isn't all that believable as the tortured (and fairly weak minded) priest and Zuniga's legendary bad performance here probably ruined any further chances at a solid acting career. Plus her accent is horrible. Anne Twomey easily walks off with the film."Last Rites" probably hurt Berenger's film career. I don't think it's quite as bad as Roger Ebert labeled it (the worst film of 1988) but it certainly isn't good. Apart from "Major League" in 1989 and "Sniper" in 1993 (and a personal favorite is "The Substitute" from 1996), Berenger made more bad choices commercially speaking and his film career has never recovered.

jh92647 I recently saw this movie for a second time, and noticed that the ring was on his finger at the very beginning. I'm not Catholic, but doesn't this mean that he's married to the church, as are nuns? Could someone clarify? I think the reason he took off the ring was that he realized he had betrayed the vows he took to the Church.I loved Tom in this movie, but I pretty much love him in everything. It was interesting to see what a cathedral looks like "behind the scenes". I also enjoyed the scenes in Mexico, especially the celebrations. The plot was implausible, but not as offensive as some would have you believe.Hard to believe that Tom did this movie one year before Major League. It obviously shows what range he has as an actor.