Say Your Prayers

People can get things wrong. And people who are quite sure they're right can get things completely wrong. Beware the certainties of dogma. Roger Allam portrays a public atheist who sounds a bit like Richard Dawkins - except that he brings along some unappetising character flaws. Derek Jacobi is Father Enoch, a cleric who has decided that his God wants to suspend one of His own Commandments (number six, concerning homicide as you may recall). The end justifies the means.

Father Enoch has devoted about twenty years to bringing up two brothers who were abandoned when they were small children: Vic (Tom Brooke) and Tim (Harry Melling). Now he has an important assignment for his boys to do (it's the work of the Lord). Vic looks like he's cut out for this sort of thing, but Tim seems to lack the linear moral clarity of an effective fanatic - and maybe he's not very bright. If this is a story about one character, then that character is Tim, a lamb in wolf-world.

They go to work. But small mistakes can have unfortunate consequences. Now it looks as if the assignment is going to be more challenging than originally planned. The police are aware of death threats and are taking the usual precautions to protect Prof Huxley (Allam) at the Ilkley Literature Festival (yes, Ilkley, a town in Yorkshire, really does do these get-togethers for lit-lovers). Two guys of "middle-eastern" appearance have turned up to hear the keynote speaker - better keep an eye on them...

Life can be a muddle of sweet and sweat, pathos and pathetic, cliche and claptrap, hypocrisy and hypothetical, love and lewd. But will all these elements play together nicely to make a movie? Jamie Fraser (writer) and Harry Michell (writer and director) give it their best shot (some very nice touches, and also ingenious twists and turns), and they depend on the audience to not get too fidgety about how they're supposed to feel - is this tragedy, or comedic? We've seen plenty of work-worn cops on the screen (Anna Maxwell Martin on this occasion), but a splendid male choir - now that's different, and it really adds its own dimension of commentary to this film.

I read another review asking why they didnt go after Islam instead of Christianity, and so, im writing this one.

Its a good look at rural Yorkshire life and how bumbling and incompetent everyone is its not mawkish or sentimental "Say your Prayers" follows some grumpy old police lady to track down some right pillocks after doing something right stupid - I imagine our American cousins would not get the Yorkshire stereotypes of being crude and honest, nor do I think they will understand that a comedy can be subtle, quiet and reserved.

Perfect for a quiet night in with a cup of tea and an electric blanket. Wont make you laugh, wont make you cry, but made me feel very cosy.

Here is a film with a dark sense of humor. An atheist writer named Huxley(I get it), is obviously based on the late writer Christopher Hitchens, a notorious critic of religion. God is Not Great is an excellent book, even for us agnostic Catholics out here. Two brothers are sent on a mission to silence the heretical writer and the result is a smart and funny movie. The cast is top notch and I highly recommend Say Your Prayers.

Rural Yorkshire, literary festival, two bumbling Christan hitmen, obnoxious snob who happens to be an atheist, innocent victim, foul-mouthed detective, a whole of lot of ingredients that shouldn't mix in together, but somehow do. Quirky, eccentric short flick peppered with a Capella singing, thick accents, dozens of creative turns (some working out, some fail miserably). It is hard not to get taken in by this unexpected dark comedy that doesn't spare anybody. Churchy, hateful fanatics and pompous money grabbing drawing room atheists belong to the same sewer of use and abuse. Dark comedy it is, and it ends on a dark note. Depressing, but fitting.

Definitely no spoilers here, I don't want to ruin the unfolding plot. I'm giving it 10/10 but if you don't genuinely like the 'genre' (quirky but edgy black comedy with some violence and some obscene humour) then don't complain.

Every character in this film is excellent. This comedy is quite dark, shocking at times, and there are really thought-provoking scenes and conversations intermixed with the humour.

Watch it...