Broken Vows

this is one of the most charming movies I've seen, but also with moments of drama, comedy and just all round good feeling. Tommy Lee Jones is excellent as always, and Annette O'Toole is wonderful as the girlfriend of the murder victim, and also Mr Jones's character's subsequent love interest. It is genuinely warm and moving without being too sweet or sickly as some love stories are. Mr Jones is a wonderful actor and this gives him yet another chance to shine as a priest torn between his duty to his calling and the woman he has come to love. Well worth a watch.

In a dubious neighborhood in Manhattan, a Catholic priest (Jones) starts to question his occupation after talking with a dying man (David Strathairn) and meeting the woman in whom the victim was once involved (Annette). M. Emmet Walsh is on hand as a know-it-all detective.

I guess "Broken Vows" (1987) is technically a television production helmed by a proven TV director (Jud Taylor) and this can be observed in the wooden delivery of the characters' dialogues (like they just learned their lines the night before). Once you get past that issue, however, this ranks with Tommy Lee's best movies, just don't expect the action thrills of "The Fugitive." Rather, it has 'thrills' in the sense of real-life drama, which can be more compelling than overkill action if done effectively, at least for the mature-minded.

Annette was still in her prime at 34 years-old during shooting and so was Frances Fisher, who has a smaller part as Maureen. Meanwhile Jones was 40.

I also appreciated the unexpected depiction of artists and their studios in the big city. I had a couple of friends in this uncertain line of work; one was my best friend at the time and his studio looked very similar to Stuart Chase's in the movie, aka Amil.

The film works on three fronts: There's the murder mystery, there's McMahon's struggles with the usefulness of his profession and the Catholic sect in general, and, lastly, the relationship of the two protagonists. As my title blurb suggests, the flick commendably addresses the good, the bad and the ugly of life's blessings & curses and everything in between.

The lowkey route is taken and the movie's the better for it. For instance, we sense what's going on underneath the surface, but it's not spelled out. Lesser flicks require a passionate sex scene to 'wow' the viewer whereas this one opts for a revelatory statement or the simple clasping & kissing of hands.

It runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot in Montréal, Québec.

GRADE: B+

The roll of a rather naïve young priest, with plenty of shy, sex appeal gives Tommy lee Jones an opportunity to flex his acting chops in this made for TV film.

When he comes upon a dying young man, a man who professes his devotion to the church, rather than name his killer, Father Joseph McMahon (Jones) takes upon himself a quest to learn more about the man, and the circumstances surrounding his murder.

This quest opens the priest to a whole new world outside the sheltered existence of his parish. When he meets the slain man's girlfriend (Annette O'Toole), they begin an emotional intertwine.

Fine fare with above average performances and a good cast including David Strathairn, a striking Frances Fisher, M. Emmet Walsh, and Milo O'Shea.

Good, solid, emotional drama.

This worthless movie was obviously created by someone who doesn't know enough about the priesthood to condemn it as much as they do. Falling back on every cliche about the priesthood they could muster, all the people who made this movie do is succeed in irritating and preaching with a type of blind passion that they condemn in the Church. I wish I never would have paid the $2.50 to rent it.

In Broken Vows, Tommy Lee Jones plays a shy, diffident Catholic priest who arrives at a crime scene just in time to give the last rites to the victim (David Straitharn). Intrigued by the slain man's last words, Jones sets out to find out more about him and the circumstances leading to his murder. For the first time, he ventures outside of the sheltered and ritualized world of the priesthood in which he has become immured and begins to meet people from all walks of life. In the course of his investigation, Jones meets the slain man's girlfriend, played by Annette O'Toole. The two immediately strike sparks off one another and an awkward, lively and tender relationship develops between the two. In a departure from his usual blustery macho roles, Tommy Lee Jones is in fine form as a young priest whose entire world is shaken as a consequence of a chance encounter with a dying man. The manner of man's death reawakens Jones' intellect and sensuality. For the first time, he questions the dogma that rules his circumscribed life and partakes of the life that exists beyond the doors of his church.