6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Angela, the beautiful Mexican mistress of a NY mobster, asks virginal Father Michael for protection after Zena, the mobster's wife, kills her cheating husband. Michael becomes torn between his vows, Angela and his sister Zena.
Starring: Tom Berenger, Daphne Zuniga, Chick Vennera, Anne Twomey, Dane ClarkCrime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
1988’s “Last Rites” has the title and aura of a picture that takes the trials of priesthood seriously, suggesting a tight character study of a man of the cloth caught up in an unwinnable situation that tests his faith and his life. Instead of introspection, the effort announces its true intent in the opening scene, where a philandering man had his penis shot off by his vengeful wife. “Last Rites” emerges from the mind of writer/director Donald P. Bellisario, and it’s exactly the type of film that comes from the man who created “Airwolf,” “NCIS,” and “Magnum, P.I.” There’s no room for subtlety in Bellisario’s world, giving his big feature helming debut all the depth of a trashy novel, pitting a conflicted priest against his desires, allowing the desires to win. It’s probably not the best movie night choice for die-hard Catholics, but the awfulness of the endeavor manages to transcend religion, becoming a grand test of patience for all.
An MGM catalog title, "Last Rites" comes to Blu-ray via Scorpion Releasing. The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation offers an aged look, with essentials of the original cinematography softened, including detail with facial surfaces and costuming. Crispness is missing, but some textures are appreciable, and room dimension is acceptable, getting a feel for cavernous church areas, lofts, and mansions. Urban distances are intact as well. Colors come through only adequately, with hotter reds and brighter period hues, while religious uniforms favor a darker palette, with the exception of purple stoles. Skintones are flat at times. Filtering is present, along with some blockiness.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix delivers compelling scoring cues, with the bigness of orchestral sounds maintained throughout the listening experience. Instrumentation is sharp and volume swells during scenes of suspense never overwhelming the performances. Dialogue exchanges are as clear as possible, with a few inherent audio limitations found during exterior scenes in New York City. Sound effects, such as gunfire and fireworks, are satisfactorily defined.
Bellisario tries to bend "Last Rites" into a noir-ish endeavor. It doesn't take, with undercooked elements all around. Sexual activity offers little heat with two actors who have no chemistry, and the growing saga of mafia blues is pure episodic television writing. Berenger gives himself to the part, and he's fine here when he's away from fuhgeddaboudit mode, but a decent performance can't support such a silly movie that doesn't even try to ask profound questions of faith, community service, and temptation.
1974
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