A Prayer For The Dying

Pared down to its basics, A PRAYER FOR THE DYING is a film about moral self-examination, addressing the dilemma "to kill or not to kill." It's an honest attempt to understand the morality of murder, but it sinks, however unintentionally, into campiness and treacly melodrama. As the picture opens, Martin Fallon (Mickey Rourke, in an excellent, chameleonic performance) and two fellow IRA terrorists accidentally blow up a school bus instead of a British military transport. Fallon's pals escape, but Fallon, who is devastated by the incident, turns his back on the Cause and escapes to London, where he hopes to find safe passage to the US. Instead, the IRA and the Britis...