IMDb RATING
6.1/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
A young priest speaks out against the Communist regime in Poland and is killed for it.A young priest speaks out against the Communist regime in Poland and is killed for it.A young priest speaks out against the Communist regime in Poland and is killed for it.
Pete Postlethwaite
- Josef
- (as Peter Postlethwaite)
Charlie Condou
- Mirek
- (as Charles Condou)
Wojciech Pszoniak
- Bridge Player
- (as Wojtek Pszoniak)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film is based on the true story of Father Jerzy Popieluszko, a Catholic priest and Solidarity supporter who was murdered by agents of the Polish secret police.
- Quotes
Father Alek: A government by brute force is not a government.
- Alternate versionsThe UK theatrical version was heavily cut by 3 minutes and 41 seconds for a '15' rating:
- [Reel 4] After man escapes with stolen dog in car, remove sight of dog's head trapped in window as it is wound up (to conform with Cinematograph Films [Animals] Act 1937).
- [Reel 5] In murder of priest in forest, reduce number of blows to his head.
- [Reel 6] Reduce to minimum necessary to establish plot the sequence in which priest's head is covered with plastic bag before he is thrown into river, removing in particular all close shots of bloody face through plastic.
- [Reel 6] When captain returns home to wife after committing murder, remove sight of her legs over his shoulders during sex as well as his facial reaction to orgasm (whole scene removed by distributor).
Featured review
A young priest (Christopher Lambert) speaks out against the Communist regime in Poland and is killed for it.
Now, I don't know much about the "solidarity" movement in Poland, or what role the church played in this era of Polish history. But I do know that this film approaches the story from a very odd angle. Rather than focus on the priest, they focus on the spies... and one of them (Ed Harris) seems to have a conscience. Presenting the bad guys as human? A radical idea.
Also, casting Lambert as the priest seems like a bold move. Maybe I am sheltered or ignorant, but when I think Christopher Lambert, I think of B-movies like "Highlander". Granted, that's a really good B-movie, but still not the sort of dramatic gravitas you might think would lead to a role like this.
Now, I don't know much about the "solidarity" movement in Poland, or what role the church played in this era of Polish history. But I do know that this film approaches the story from a very odd angle. Rather than focus on the priest, they focus on the spies... and one of them (Ed Harris) seems to have a conscience. Presenting the bad guys as human? A radical idea.
Also, casting Lambert as the priest seems like a bold move. Maybe I am sheltered or ignorant, but when I think Christopher Lambert, I think of B-movies like "Highlander". Granted, that's a really good B-movie, but still not the sort of dramatic gravitas you might think would lead to a role like this.
- How long is To Kill A Priest?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 57 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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