Into Temptation

Perhaps like you, I hesitated to watch this film because I thought it might fall into the standard clichés of a religious thriller (like a cluelessly naïve priest, a slutty prostitute, gratuitous booty shots, vapid dialogue, blatant religious or anti-religious propaganda, predictable ending, etc), so I came to IMDb to check out the reviews. As others have said, this is indeed a great movie. I was really surprised at how much substance the filmmakers packed into this 95 min film. It constantly surprised me and was never predictable while making logical sense the whole way through. And it leaves us with a powerful message we can all munch on, religious folks & atheists alike.

Through Jeremy Sisto's character, an intelligent and curious young priest, we are presented with a lot of fascinating themes. Though set amid the Catholic church, we don't get any church propaganda nor do we get church bashing. Instead the film focuses on human beings and how, regardless of god & religion, we attempt to find peace in our souls. The film never comes across as preachy, yet it shows us the value of human interactions and how our trivial actions can have enormous consequences.

Conversely, the lascivious underworld of sex & debauchery presents another venue, but the film never descends to the obvious moralizing. Again, they're all shown to be human beings with human interactions, and it's the value of these interactions that gives the world meaning.

This is a very dialogue-driven, tone-driven movie. In other words, no car chases, shootouts or big explosions. Instead the interesting characters carry the film and do so brilliantly. There's a lot of playful banter between characters, and the witty humour is what really makes this a fun film even though it makes us think.

This may sound odd, but it reminded me a lot of The Exorcist III, another excellent film that packs much more than the DVD cover implies. Both films revolve around a man whose faith is unconventional, who is trying to make sense of a bizarre mystery & how it relates to matters of the soul. And both films have some great humour despite being thrillers. Don't forget the great acting. Jeremy Sisto's quiet, inexperienced-yet-savvy character in Into Temptation is like a young George C Scott in The Exorcist III. Put your thinking cap on, see both films, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Other obscure films that this reminded me of (and which I also recommend) are "Rudy Blue" (1999), "Angela" (1995), and "The Merry Gentleman" (2008).

Jeremy sisto is father john at saint mary's. The multi-talented kristin chenoweth is linda salerno, who comes to his church to confess. She confesses that she will kill herself on her birthday, then rushes off. So father john doesn't really have a chance to respond, or to try to stop her. So that becomes his mission. But trying to help her may be more trouble than he bargained for. Can he find her, and figure out what's going on without violating any rules of the church? It's good ! Co-stars Brian Baumgartner. Written and directed by patrick coyle. One of the three films he's directed to date.

What an amazing film. The exchange on the bridge made my year! Chenoweth is masterful. She plays the role with subtlety, The character is heroic and leaves the bridge scene with hope. Would love another movie watching her life in the future. At least i feel the movie makes you want to examine your own life and live it motivated to be kind wherever and whenever possible. I would love to think that Linda could see her childhood picture on the table in John's home and know that she was not forgotten and not alone. Her life brings meaning to John and reinvigorates his mission in life. She saves him.

The premise of the movie was interesting. Will he be able to reach her? Can he stop her? But a ton of the scenes stuck me as filler, with little dramatic import. The subplot of the priest's "temptation" turned out to be, simply, empty. His looking at the magazines had no discernible effect on him. The ex-girlfriend's approaches were easily diverted. He doesn't seem to have been "into temptation" after all. When the girlfriend apologized and talked as if she was not going to bother him any more, I wondered, "So what was all that about then?" Just a little subplot to fill the time. Was he really looking at the prostitute's cleavage or just at her necklace? The ending with the prostitute also seemed a bit of a cheat.

The conversations between the priest and his black parishioner seemed very odd, where the parishioner was playing the role of counsellor to the priest.

Two stars out of five.

This indie drama mystery film is a hidden gem with outstanding acting performances. While there are a few cheesy moments involving the taxicab driver and the pimp scene, the overall quality of the movie makes it worth watching. Plus, it's fun to see it set in Minneapolis-I even recognized the gold building from my visits downtown!

It's also refreshing to see Jeremy Sisto take on a role outside his usual characters. Kristen Chenoweth makes a surprising appearance, adding to the film's charm. Brian Baumgartner brings some unexpected comedy and impressive acting to the mix. The film also has a bit of a noir feeling, which adds to its unique appeal. I highly recommend giving it a go!