So much average

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

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*!

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.

Priest Father Michael (Tom Berenger) has a father who's the head of one of the families in the Mafia. Michael protects Angela (Daphne Zuniga) who his father wants dead...and starts to fall in love with her despite being a priest. Now he's torn between love for his family, love for Angela or love for the church.The story has been done before and there's plenty wrong with it. For starters Berenger is totally miscast as the priest. In the right roles Berenger can be good--but not here. He's also far too muscular for any priest I've ever seen. Zuniga (with an atrocious faked accent) is no more than OK. The story also has more plot holes than I cared to count. Still it does (somewhat) work.Within the first 5 minutes you have female nudity AND full frontal male nudity (unusual in any Hollywood movie). Zuniga has about two nude scenes and Berenger shows off his muscular chest. It is well directed and has a nice music score. There's also a wonderful supporting performance by Anne Twomey as Michael's sister Zena. Also there's a GREAT ending. These do make the movie worth sitting through. Also this DID play in theatres despite what Leonard Maltin says in his video guide. I saw it in a tiny little theatre back in 1988 (it played a week and that was it). I distinctly remember the quiet audience actually laughing and applauded when the main villain got what was coming to them. This is no classic--heck it's not even a good movie--but it's not an utter disaster either. An OK time waster.

This flick is full of surprises, from beginning to end. Colorful location shots. Extremely sensual. Good plot. Better-than-average dialog. Excellent acting, directing, photography, editing. A real story, not just a movie created to show what some computer whiz kid can do with special effects.LAST RITES is a hard movie to find in the rental stores, but well worth the effort. Apparently some group (!) has tried to keep it off the shelves because of the content. Don't let someone censor your viewing--rent or buy this movie and judge for yourself.