Say Your Prayers

Small film with a top notch cast (Anna Maxwell Martin and Derek Jacobi-2 of my favorites in one movie!), well directed with a tightly plotted script. Good character studies amidst issues that are all too much with us. The Allam character is obviously based on Hitchins but the more recent Rushdie events also make the plot believable. The movie won't challenge your biases and doesn't take any risks, but it is well done and funny. I hope this writer/director makes another film.

Enjoyed this film, an unusual plot and some great visual twists.

The film was spoiled for me by DCI Brough (Anna Maxwell) and the rather crude, northern lass attitude which seemed to be out of touch with the rest of the film. It became cringingly annoying, which is a shame as the storyline and other roles were spot on. With a different persona from Brough this could have been a better 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.

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 enjoyed it as the story is quirky with an excellent cast and there is plenty of dry humour as well. The brothers are excellent and with Anna Maxwell Martin, Roger Allam and Derek Jacobi adding weight it's a fine lineup.

What I found intensely annoying was the frequent and incongruous insertion of a male voice choir in a lot of scenes. Totally unnecessary and really detracted from the whole production imo.

Certainly worth watching.