IN A NUTSHELL:
The story is about a computer hacker who penetrates Vatican security and sends an urgent, anonymous plea to the pope. Handsome Father Quart of the church's Institute of External Affairs, an arm of the Vatican Intelligence, is dispatched to investigate. The message of the hacker concerns a crumbling 17th century Baroque church in the heart of Seville that apparently "kills to defend itself."
The movie is based on the 1995 novel by Spanish writer Arturo Perez-Reverte called "La Piel del Tambor", which means "the skin of the drum."
The film was directed by Sergio Dow. Writing credits go to Adrian Bol, Beth Bollinger, and Gretchen Cowan.
The movie is set in Spain and uses many Spanish actors; however, the movie is in English.
THINGS I LIKED:
Some of the stand-out cast members include Richard Armitage, Paul Guilfoyle, Amaia Salamanca, Alicia Borrachero, Franco Nero, Fionnula Flanagan, Carlos Cuevas.
The opening scene was perfect.
The movie is set in Spain. I lived in Spain twice for a couple of years and loved it! One of the cities I visited was Sevilla, so I loved seeing it in the movie! We get to see a typical Spanish religious procession, a flamenco show.
The cinematography is beautiful.
The movie was released in Spain in October 2022, and now released in the USA in 2023.
The movie is filmed in Spanish but dubbed in English.
Fantastic close-ups.
We get to see some gorgeous Catholic churches and interiors in Spain and Italy. We even get to visit the Vatican. I'm not Catholic, but I absolutely respect all religions and appreciate their buildings and beautiful artwork.
Lovely music.
Some of the characters are instantly likeable like those played by Richard Armitage, Alicia Borrachero, and Carlos Cuevas.
Is it just me or do you also think Victor Mallarino looks a little bit like a Spanish Ray Romano?
The ending is satisfying for many reasons: we learn the truth, loose ends are tied up, and we learn more about faith.
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:
Sometimes, it's hard to understand what people were saying.
There are a lot of things to read on the screen that are written in Spanish with no subtitles. Most of the time, the words aren't crucial to the story.
The fight scenes aren't particularly creative.
TIPS FOR PARENTS:
We see several dead bodies, lying in a pool of blood.
Profanity, including F-bombs.
Some violence with weapons, as well as hand-to-hand combat.
We see a man in the shower (private parts are not seen)
A priest kisses a woman.
We see some murders.
Priests fight and kill others.
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