Romero

In 1977, the military in El Salvador helps the conservatives win the crooked election. Oscar Arnulfo Romero (Raul Julia) and Father Grande (Richard Jordan) help the poor. Romero as Archbishop of San Salvador has to balance the factions inside the church. The National Guard massacres dozens of worshippers. Grande is killed by death squads. Romero tries to free Rafael Zelada from the guerrillas. Atrocities continue as he struggles to find a way.

This is an important biopic of a compelling historical figure. Raul Julia is pulling back to play a calming presence in uncertain times. He does have some power acting moments. His performance is mostly one-note and that keeps tension from rising. Maybe an energized inner monologue could heighten the tension.

This was a pretty good film, about the real life story of the archbishop of EL Salvador, Oscar Romero. Raul Julia gives a good performance as the title character. The music is effective and interesting; at times it sounds almost like helicopter blades. If you close your eyes when you watch the beginning, you could almost think this film was about Vietnam. Some aspects of this film were not that great though. Some scenes appeared to be cut off too early or in odd ways.

"Romero" is about injustice in the world but presents this theme without "preaching." It draws in the viewer through the excellent performance of Raul Julia (rest his soul! he is missed!). "Romero" is also about class differences and the intolerance of the powerful towards social change. It's a great film for teaching Americans about what life is like in the rest of the world. It's a Hollywood film that managed not to go Hollywood.

An absorbing film that tackles violence in the harshest terms and is led by an angelic performance by the great Raul Julia. Like "Schindler's List," Romero sacrifices everything for peace and survival. He's willing to stand with his people and take brutality as they do. A remarkable film!

Although not a very well made movie (the writing and editing are especially weak) the late Raul Julia's performance is stunning, as are the performances of many of his supporting cast. The journey his character (and presumably the actual archbishop Romero) makes from innocence to awareness is deeply moving and very convincing. His story is remarkable and well worth forgiving the director and editor for not realizing it's full potential. The impact is in Julia's performance and you'll be with him from the moment he fills the screen. Probably one of Raul Julia's most remarkable performances. Another performance worth note is that of the late Richard Jordan who, as Father Grande, helps lead the archbishop to an awareness of the suffering of his people.