Director: Harry Michell
Writer: Jamie Fraser, Harry Michell (Screenplay)
Starring: Harry Melling, Derek Jacobi, Anna Maxwell Martin, Roger Allam, Vinette Robinson, Tom Brooke
Plot: Two orphaned brothers turned radical Christian hitmen venture to rural Ilkley under the instruction of Father Enoch). Their mission: assassinate Professor John Huxley, famed atheist writer.
Runtime: 1 Hour 24 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Say Your Prayers starts when two brothers Tim (Melling) and Vic (Brooke) arrive in a rural town to commit a murder for Father Enoch (Jacobi) who has turned the brothers into religious assassins. With Vic completing the first murder on the moors, Tim starts to meet people around town, while DCI Brough (Martin) and TI Hodge (Spencer-Longhurst) are investigating the first murder.
The brothers are here to assassinate Professor Huxley (Allam) an atheist who is the special guest at the festival, a man that has tried to bring the church down for years, can the brothers go through with the job, while Tim is looking to learn more about the world.
Thoughts on Say Your Prayers
Characters – Tim is the timid of the two brothers, he wants to meet people and explore the areas they are visiting, he befriends Imelda and gets his kind-nature notice around the town, while he is left in a position of needing to follow through. Vic is the more trigger happy of the two brothers, he will follow more of the religious side of what they are fighting for to the extreme limits and will jump into defend Tim whenever he doesn’t feel confident to follow through. Father Enoch raised the two brothers, he has assigned the men to commit the crime and will do anything to motivate them to follow through. Professor Huxley is the atheist that the church is looking to eliminate because of his thoughts about the church. DCI Brough is the blunt cop, while TI Hodge will look to solve the problems Brough puts them in. Imelda is the assistant to Huxley that befriends Tim along the time.
Performances – Harry Melling is the best part of the performances here, he gives us such an innocent kind natured figure in the film. Roger Allam gives us the best speech through the film, where he does steal the scene, with the rest of the cast getting the laughs through the film.
Story – The story here follows two brothers who are sent by the church to assassinate an atheist author that has been bad mouthing the church and we follow the events of their plan. This is a story which will look at how young men could have been brainwashed into believing whatever they are told is the right thing, with how they look to act towards people they see as wrong, with Vic being the most aggressive of the two. We do get to see how someone who was raised in one life could start to see the bigger problem between each sides. We will get to enjoy how the story is told, with the whole investigation coming off like an evening detective show.
Comedy/Crime – The comedy in the film does mix a few different styles, with the often deadpan delivered by Harry Melling, the blunt style of Anna Maxwell Martin and angry religious assassin in Tom Brooke.
Settings – The film is set in a small rural village, which will show how they aren’t used to seeing the crimes, while everyone who is an outsider could look out of place.
Scene of the Movie – Huxley and Tim moment alone.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The singers seem random at times.
Final Thoughts – This is a fun British comedy that will show the hapless assassins looking to follow through the church, with scenes that are among the best of the year.
Say Your Prayers will be released on demand 28th September, I-Tunes Pre-Order Here
