I'm a fan of Tom Berenger, and I'm not alone since he was a great leading man of the late 80s and 90s. He's younger here, cast as a priest, which stretches credulity a bit, but it's convincingly played and written by someone who clearly had a background in catholicism, which really permeates the entire film. Berenger being Italian doesn't exactly jibe with reality either, but again, its made plausible.

The film has some decent action and surprises, with all the hallmarks of an 80s movie that relies on its plot, characters, some back lot sets, and period grit and debased attitude as well as slightly substandard film stock that still looks great. There's something about films that used to have to rely on characters and plots because they couldn't afford to blow tens of millions on effects.

Regardless, Berenger as a priest, his friends, his awful sister, and his mob family are all played well. There are some issues with a third party female who plays a convincing damsel in distress that then does a 360. This is a bit much to take, as is Berenger's brutally manipulative and devious reaction, which seems so terribly out of character. However, when you give it some thought, a convincing rationale can come to mind, one of innocence lost, one in regards to family coming first and the mania of that within the mob taking over even a good son. There's a real subtext about the good or bad side to women that is taken a bit far, and makes the director/producer seem like a possible misogynist, but maybe that's how life went for him. Or maybe it's the destiny for Berenger's life as a priest. Regardless, it's better a film to me than a 5 or even 6. Popcorn fare that provides some angles to thoughtfully explore

It's not ironclad as a film, and it's no landmark, but it's an 80s film that has aged well, and is entertaining, and the only parts that go wrong are mostly towards the end and don't go completely astray, though the twists are a bit heavy-handed.

Priest Father Michael (Tom Berenger) has a father who's the head of one of the families in the Mafia. Michael protects Angela (Daphne Zuniga) who his father wants dead...and starts to fall in love with her despite being a priest. Now he's torn between love for his family, love for Angela or love for the church.

The story has been done before and there's plenty wrong with it. For starters Berenger is totally miscast as the priest. In the right roles Berenger can be good--but not here. He's also far too muscular for any priest I've ever seen. Zuniga (with an atrocious faked accent) is no more than OK. The story also has more plot holes than I cared to count. Still it does (somewhat) work.

Within the first 5 minutes you have female nudity AND full frontal male nudity (unusual in any Hollywood movie). Zuniga has about two nude scenes and Berenger shows off his muscular chest. It is well directed and has a nice music score. There's also a wonderful supporting performance by Anne Twomey as Michael's sister Zena. Also there's a GREAT ending. These do make the movie worth sitting through. Also this DID play in theatres despite what Leonard Maltin says in his video guide. I saw it in a tiny little theatre back in 1988 (it played a week and that was it). I distinctly remember the quiet audience actually laughing and applauded when the main villain got what was coming to them. This is no classic--heck it's not even a good movie--but it's not an utter disaster either. An OK time waster.

Berenger is the "good son" of Mafia Don, Clark. He's a somewhat bored priest. A girl, Zuniga, rushes into the confessional and admits she was witness to a Mafia killing and is now being hunted by the mob. The people responsible for the killing are none other than Berenger's own family. It gets a little complicated here.

Berenger decides to help Zuniga escape to her native Mexico rather than turn her over to his own family for execution. Once across the border, Zuniga seduces Berenger. End of priesthood. Then he discovers that he is the mark in the intricate plot to get Zuniga out of the country. When she's safe, she tells her real lover to kill Berenger.

I'm not sure just what kind of flick this is supposed to be. Another inside look at the Mafia? It fails. The rituals -- the burials, the sobbing widow, the solemn laying on of flowers, the men embracing -- are all familiar by now and they seem staged here, as if they were included because they were expected to be included.

A tangled love story involving a Latina femme fatale? Too tangled, if you ask me. And after discovering his betrayal, Berenger far too easily turns from compassionate priest to Judas goat.

The acting is barely up to professional standards. Zuniga is beautiful, lanky, sexy but seems more suited to lighter roles. Berenger isn't convincing as a priest. Administering extreme unction to a friend, he's almost embarrassing. They dying friend achieves that embarrassment. Dane Clark puts in a decent performance but doesn't look quite right for the role and lacks individuality, the way some television actors do, just walking through the part.

Whatever conative kinks existed in the minds of the people who produced this, they weren't realized on screen. Oh, there's a neat scene in which Zuniga slides nudely out of bed, saunters over to the relaxed, alert Berenger, and plants a big smooch on him before undressing him and leading him over to the sack for a hot sex act. But what do you know, folks -- it was a body double and a dream!