Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- brooding
- harrowing
- morally serious
- serious crime marathon
- 1980s thriller night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film a mixed political crime thriller, with Mickey Rourke's performance receiving some praise but concerns about the accents and casting weakening the overall result.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Fallon abandons the IRA after accidentally killing schoolchildren but remains trapped by what he knows and what he has done.
Father Michael Da Costa sees Fallon's killing and becomes central to the conflict between identification, mercy, and conscience.
The IRA and Meehan's London criminal network independently pressure Fallon into further violence and deny him escape.
Fallon's flight through London is driven not only by police and gang pursuit but by his refusal to repeat the killing of innocents.
Films like A Prayer for the Dying, and why
The Mission
shared political violence, moral guilt, and tense crime-thriller atmosphere
The Crying Game
shared Irish conflict context, divided loyalties, and morally serious thriller storytelling
State of Grace
shared repentant antihero, criminal underworld pressure, and Catholic moral themes
Year of the Dragon
shared hard-edged crime drama, doomed protagonists, and conflicted masculinity
Movie Details
- Director
- Mike Hodges
- Release Date
- 1987-09-11
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (119)
Cast
- Mickey Rourke
- Bob Hoskins
- Alan Bates
- Sammi Davis
- Christopher Fulford
- Liam Neeson
- Leonard Termo
- Camille Coduri
- Alison Doody
- Maurice O'Connell
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- ScreenPix Apple TV channel, ScreenPix Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is A Prayer for the Dying about?
- An IRA bomber haunted by the accidental deaths of schoolchildren seeks escape from both the movement and London’s criminal underworld while a priest stands between him and execution.
- What is A Prayer for the Dying like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Prayer for the Dying as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is A Prayer for the Dying violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in A Prayer for the Dying as graphic.
- What did critics think of A Prayer for the Dying?
- Critics broadly found the film a mixed political crime thriller, with Mickey Rourke's performance receiving some praise but concerns about the accents and casting weakening the overall result.
- Which films are like A Prayer for the Dying?
- Films with a similar feel include The Mission, The Crying Game, State of Grace, and Year of the Dragon.
- How long is A Prayer for the Dying?
- A Prayer for the Dying runs 107 minutes.
- Where can I watch A Prayer for the Dying?
- In United States, A Prayer for the Dying streams on ScreenPix Apple TV channel, ScreenPix Amazon Channel .
