Mystery thriller with a Catholic twist. Detroit is plagued by a series of murders of priests and nuns, with each victim found holding a black rosary. Report this film. Donald Sutherland with short hair = bad movie. MlH Of Series Channel. hope this doesn't awaken anything within me, i hadn't revisited this movie since then because it was simply not very good and that still holds true, but hey, i owe a lot to it an iconic moment from my recent personal lore. Still makes me laugh to this day. Walton came to attention with the slasher film When a Stranger Calls (1979) and went onto make April Fools Day (1986) and Dead Air (1994) and a host of made-for-tv movies including the likes of I Saw What You Did (1988), Trapped (1989), Homewrecker (1992), When a Stranger Calls Back (1993) and The Stepford Husbands (1996). Someone is going around murdering priests and nuns, as it later turns out using the coincidence of their names matching the ten commandments (sometimes with a bit of a stretch. "The Rosary Murders" follows a Catholic parish in Detroit that is plagued by a series of brutal murders. It was the first of 24 books written by Kienzle, and the only one adapted to the screen, and it's easy to see why. In this film, which Fred Walton has directed and co-written with Elmore Leonard, Donald Sutherland stars as a liberal priest who gets involved in a Detroit manhunt for a serial killer who is murdering Catholic priests and nuns. The next mention was a third-hand account on a blog in 2009. priest, confession [criminal], serial-killer, investigation, killing, nun, amateur, detective, investigator, murder, victim. I'd love to explain that in detail, but doing so would ruin part of the ending. Co-Written by Elmore Leonard. Kienzle left the priesthood in 1974 because of his disagreement with its refusal to remarry divorcees. Before leaving for college, she had promised her mother and/or grandmother that she would pray the rosary before bed every night even if she fell asleep doing so. I came across this book at my mother-in-laws. It's like reading Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot - get in the spirit of the book. Say the "Glory Be". This is not Sutherland's best role because he is not given enough material to work with. Let's just see it for what it is a whodunit where priests and nuns are the victims of a serial killer who leaves a black rosary on their dead bodies. The Rosary Murders. Murder Father Koesler (Sutherland) must betray the confessional to stop him. If the rosary had stopped a serial killers rampage, how had I not heard that story before? He listens as the killer talks about how the church let his sixteen year-old daughter die. Kienzle was the author of twenty-four crime fiction/mystery novels featuring Father Robert Koesler, a Catholic priest who doubles as a detective. Detroit is shaken by the activities of a serial killer who is systematically slaying Catholic priests and nuns, always leaving a rosary wrapped around each victims hand. None of the other actors has much to do, and they all act accordingly, as though they really had better things to do. I thought hard about not mentioning Ted Bundys name in this article and simply referring to him as the killer because Bundy had the personality that would have enjoyed the attention. Midsomer Murders S13E02 The Made to Measure Murders. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). A Nice little spin on Hitchcocks I Confess with Donald Sutherland as a priest who hears a confession from a serial killer murdering priests and nuns. Starring: Charles Durning, Donald Sutherland. However, if it is not true, we need to be clear on the facts. Kienzle, whose first book, "The Rosary Murders," was made into a 1987 film starring Donald Sutherland as his protagonist priest, died Friday of a heart attack at his home in the. Not only does she spend much of the CBS drama's finale worr But he is bound by the churches vow of sanctity of the confessional not to break the seal of confession. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"dDBoq3WEvyGgx30SM_suJO16ehSvQTu9tn0_uz4CzPo-86400-0"}; Awesome read! Donald Sutherland is good, but he can't make this film worth seeing all by himself. A priest is killed during Lent and the killer leaves a plain black rosary behind. Please consider upgrading to a Pro accountfor less than a couple bucks a month, youll get cool additional features like all-time and annual stats pages (example), the ability to select (and filter by) your favorite streaming services, and no ads! 7. Say three "Hail Marys" for Faith, Hope, and Charity. The script moves over to comment on the Catholic Church, not denouncing it per se, but criticising its lack of compassionate balance and its appallingly inadequate dismissal of both Javison and Katherines anguish. The case itself has some darkly salacious elements but the narrative still feels very, "TV movie of the week". Twitter Facebook Link Print. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. Directed by When Stranger Calls Fred Walton in a low key well observed style that serves the weight over Sutherlands shoulders better than the crime investigation stuff which is often rather contrived. Based on the William X. Kienzle mystery about a serial killer preying on nuns and priests. Joseph Somer gives a fine performance as the police detective who knows that Father Koesler (Sutherland) knows something but also realizes he cannot compel him to share the knowledge. Tv shows. One of his best known novels is his first, The Rosary Murders (1978), which was made into a 1987 movie starring Donald Sutherland as Father Koesler. It does the Faith no good if false stories are being circulated to promote the Faith. Then I started it, saw Elmore Leonard wrote the screenplay, and got more excited. I like all the Fr Koesler mysteries, so enjoyed this one. Josef Sommer and Belinda Bauer offer able support. This 1987 movie was just awful. There's something about this particular type of plot and tone that I'm jonesing for at the minute, so I'll definitely be trying to source a couple more films directed by Fred Walton. Streaming on Roku. Intriguing premise is let down by a flat, tedious script. Father Koesler is no Rabbi David Small. He walks across the altar to reach the confessional without genuflecting in front of the altar. I truly enjoyed the whole plot to the story. In his early days of academia, no teachers ever told him he was a talented writer; they only gave him grades. Fairly standard yet still luridly fun, with a twist that doesnt feel too far off from being an American answer to WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE?. TMDb Directed by Fred Walton, from source material written by William X. Kienzie and adapted by Walton and Elmore Leonard, the film co-stars Charles Durning and Josef Sommer. Encyclopedia.com. Part of the effectiveness here might well be the other surprise name on the credits Waltons co-writer Elmore Leonard. I had previously read all the other books in this series, but had somehow missed this one. https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/culture-magazines/rosary-murders, "The Rosary Murders This presents a moral quandary for Father Koesler: does he remain silent after being forced to absolve a killer for his heinous sins, or does he turn his back on his sworn duty as a priest and reveal what he knows about the killer to the authorities? That is the premise of ''The Rosary Murders,'' a well-meaning but plodding thriller with a screenplay co-written by Elmore Leonard, who's ordinarily so much faster on his feet. However, because it did not appear in his story, he assumes he was not told about it. I'm going to Hell now, I know it. Not really a fault of the movie, just church law. Mobilesite. However, Koesler is bound by his confessional oath and must keep this information a secret. I was never bored during any of the times I watched this film. Good plot and decent characters, but for today's reader marred by the fact of the casual racist, sexist and religious quips and jokes that don't sit so well today. Donald Sutherland (Father Robert Koesler), Belinda Bauer (Pat Lennon), Charles Durning (Father Ted Neighbours), Josef Sommer (Lieutenant Koznicki). Midsomer Murders S21E02 - The Miniature Murders - Part 01. Get this album or track at: 2:25. No name is ever given for this girl, so there is no way to verify her part in the story. So, as you can guess, Koesler is a very troubled man. "The Rosary Murders" is an instance of good writing matched by firm, understated direction and some splendid playing from a large cast. It was little seen when it came out and sadly its profile has not substantially changed since then, although it is eminently deservous of much greater recognition. Walton's direction is slickly presented, but feels shapeless and dry. His interests include: Following hockey and Minnesota sports teams, Batman, detective stories, community theater, and improv. Film data from TMDb. This book is a run of the mill police procedural, made more interesting by its portrayal of the state of the Catholic Church and the city of Detroit in the late seventies. He struggles with his conscience as he searches for the identity of the killer and tries to find a way to stop him. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. A priest cannot tell on a child rapist or a serial killer even if they confess. Warning: This post contains big spoilers for Evil's Season 1 finale.. Evil's Kristen Bouchard has had a hell of a week.. Not only does she spend much of the CBS drama's finale worried that a . Murder is perhaps the single most serious criminal offense. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. Police believe he stopped his attack because he was spooked when a girl used the bathroom at the far end of the hallway around 3:15A.M. Released August 28th, 1987, 'The Rosary Murders' stars Donald Sutherland, Charles Durning, Belinda Bauer, Josef Sommer The movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 45 min, and received a user score of 53 . A really good cast can't stop this movie from feeling, unfortunately, very tedious and dry. Share. There have even been two books about the rosary that mention this story that include a reference to a mysterious force. The publishers of those books should be embarrassed that they allowed those books to be published and sold before they had verified that story. The plot is excellent there are some amazing twists, albeit a slightly probability defying m.o. But this flaw will not diminish your enjoyment of the film, as there is enough action to keep the murder mystery fan happy. A killer of Detroit clergy confesses to a priest (Donald Sutherland), who turns sleuth because he cannot tell the police. A priest is conflicted following a string of murders which target fellow priests and nuns in this dark mystery drama. So the author build up the story but then the ending was flat. It was fun to go back and visit again with Father Koesler. I fail to see this guy's acting abilities. This book did a good job weaving all the pieces of a complex murder mystery together -- until the last chapter. With Donald Sutherland, Charles Durning, Belinda Bauer, Josef Sommer. In "The Rosary Murders" priests and nuns are getting knocked off and the only person who knows who the culprit is, is priest Donald Sutherland. 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