Into Temptation (2009)

A prostitute plans to end her life on her birthday, but her priest attempts to stop her from doing so.

Director:

Patrick Coyle

Writer:

Patrick Coyle

Stars:

Jeremy Sisto, Kristin Chenoweth, Brian Baumgartner

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeremy Sisto	...	Father John Buerlein
Kristin Chenoweth	...	Linda Salerno
Brian Baumgartner	...	Fr. Ralph O'Brien
Bruce A. Young	...	Lloyd Montag
Amy Matthews	...	Nadine Brennan
Tony Papenfuss	...	Zeke
Greta Oglesby	...	Miriam
Gene Larche	...	Gus
Linda Kelsey	...	Corrine Buerlein
Marquetta Senters	...	Anita Mendoza
Ansa Akyea	...	James St. Clair
Lolita Lesheim	...	Della (as Lola Lesheim)
Isabell O'Connor	...	Tessie Thomas (as Isabell Monk O'Connor)
Marion Markham	...	Diane
Patrick Coyle	...	Steven Miller

Storyline

A call girl goes to a priest to confess a sin she hasn't committed yet: she plans to kill herself on her next birthday. Then she disappears and he goes looking for her, enlisting the help of an ad hoc congregation of troubled souls along the way. A story about forgiveness.

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Plot Keywords:

catholic priest | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content

Did You Know?

Goofs

There are two slightly different versions of the Lord's Prayer. The "Catholic version" has some different wording and a different ending than the "Protestant version". In the scene where Fr. Brulein is saying mass, he and the congregation recite the "Protestant version" and not the "Catholic version".

User Reviews

See this movie! (and while you're at it, see Exorcist III)

Perhaps like you, I hesitated to watch this film because I thought it might fall into the standard clichés of a religious thriller (like a cluelessly naïve priest, a slutty prostitute, gratuitous booty shots, vapid dialogue, blatant religious or anti-religious propaganda, predictable ending, etc), so I came to IMDb to check out the reviews. As others have said, this is indeed a great movie. I was really surprised at how much substance the filmmakers packed into this 95 min film. It constantly surprised me and was never predictable while making logical sense the whole way through. And it leaves us with a powerful message we can all munch on, religious folks & atheists alike.

Through Jeremy Sisto's character, an intelligent and curious young priest, we are presented with a lot of fascinating themes. Though set amid the Catholic church, we don't get any church propaganda nor do we get church bashing. Instead the film focuses on human beings and how, regardless of god & religion, we attempt to find peace in our souls. The film never comes across as preachy, yet it shows us the value of human interactions and how our trivial actions can have enormous consequences.

Conversely, the lascivious underworld of sex & debauchery presents another venue, but the film never descends to the obvious moralizing. Again, they're all shown to be human beings with human interactions, and it's the value of these interactions that gives the world meaning.

This is a very dialogue-driven, tone-driven movie. In other words, no car chases, shootouts or big explosions. Instead the interesting characters carry the film and do so brilliantly. There's a lot of playful banter between characters, and the witty humour is what really makes this a fun film even though it makes us think.

This may sound odd, but it reminded me a lot of The Exorcist III, another excellent film that packs much more than the DVD cover implies. Both films revolve around a man whose faith is unconventional, who is trying to make sense of a bizarre mystery & how it relates to matters of the soul. And both films have some great humour despite being thrillers. Don't forget the great acting. Jeremy Sisto's quiet, inexperienced-yet-savvy character in Into Temptation is like a young George C Scott in The Exorcist III. Put your thinking cap on, see both films, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Other obscure films that this reminded me of (and which I also recommend) are "Rudy Blue" (1999), "Angela" (1995), and "The Merry Gentleman" (2008).

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 April 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

В искушении

Filming Locations:

Minnesota, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ten Ten Films, Cabin 14, Farnam Street II

Technical Specs

Color:

Color Black and White