On the wings of death

Movie
German title	On the wings of death
Original title	A Prayer for the Dying
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Publishing year	1987
length	108 minutes
Age rating	FSK 16
Rod
Director	Mike Hodges
script	Edmund Ward Martin Lynch
production	Samuel Goldwyn junior Peter Snell
music	Bill Conti
camera	Michael Garfath
cut	Peter Boyle
occupation
Mickey Rourke : Martin Fallon Bob Hoskins : Michael Da Costa Alan Bates : Jack Meehan Sammi Davis : Anna Christopher Fulford : Billy Meehan Liam Neeson : Liam Docherty Leonard Termo : Bonati Camille Coduri : Jenny Fox Maurice O'Connell : Miller Alison Doody : Siobhan Donovan Karl Johnson : Fitzgerald Ian Bartholomew : Kristou Peggy Aitchison : Mrs. Orton Cliff Burnett : Fred Varley Anthony Head : Rupert

On the Wings of Death (Original title: A Prayer for the Dying ) is an American action film in the style of a suspense thriller from 1987 . Directed by Mike Hodges , the script was written by Edmund Ward and Martin Lynch based on the novel The Murder Confession by Jack Higgins .

action

Terrorist Martin Fallon kills numerous people on behalf of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Together with Liam Docherty, he planted a bomb to kill British soldiers. A bus carrying children is accidentally destroyed. Fallon feels remorse and does not want to undertake any further attacks. As a result, he is not only wanted by the British, but also hunted by the IRA. Fallon moves to London , where he is hiding.

Fallon does an assignment for the Mafioso Jack Meehan, from whom he receives money and a forged passport - for the murder of a competitor. The priest Michael Da Costa witnesses the murder. Fallon confesses to Da Costa in order to force him to remain silent. Meehan watches the priest and knows that he is a witness to the murder. Therefore, the priest should also be eliminated. The mafia instructs Fallon to eliminate the priest, but the priest refuses. Fallon is now in the crosshairs of the Mafia and also the IRA, which sees him as a security risk and Siobhan Donovan and Liam Docherty put him on. Docherty doesn't have the heart to kill his friend Fallon. Siobhan Donovan executes him for insubordination after consultation with her IRA superiors. Meehan hides a bomb in the priest's church. Fallon finds out about this, kills some mafiosi, rushes to the church and saves the priest. Fallon is fatally injured when the bomb explodes. He asks the priest for absolution , which he gives him. Fallon dies peacefully.

Reviews

Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times of September 11, 1987 that the film was largely an "indecent exploitation" of the situation in Northern Ireland . It is a "ludicrous" film on a subject that deserves more serious treatment. The film shows religion as rituals without depicting faith.

Film-Dienst wrote that the film was "excellently played" and "idiosyncratic" . He surprised "with his unusual questions" in the subject area "Guilt and Atonement" . The film suffers from “some rumor- like effects” and “ loses its political and ethical credibility due to the rather imposed weight of meaning” .

backgrounds

The film was shot in London . Its production amounted to an estimated 6 million US dollars . The film grossed approximately $ 1.4 million in US cinemas.

Web links

• A Prayer for the Dying in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• A Prayer for the Dying at Rotten Tomatoes (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Film review by Roger Ebert , accessed June 4, 2008
2. ↑ On the Wings of Death in the Lexicon of International Films , accessed June 4, 2008
3. ^ Filming locations for A Prayer for the Dying , accessed June 4, 2008
4. ↑ Box office / business for A Prayer for the Dying , accessed June 4, 2008