Absolution - a theological term which pertains to forgiveness given out by ordained priests. And the bones of this thriller rests on this very thing, as the main dramatic thrusts of this one's narrative plays upon the restrictions that confessions put on the priest and how he cannot report criminal activity communicated in this manner to the authorities. This one was written by Anthony Shaffer, who had previously been responsible for classic films, The Wicker Man and Sleuth, as well as Hitchcock's impressive latter day effort Frenzy. This one, maybe doesn't have the narrative thrust of those, with a more indirect storyline but its certainly another Shaffer written film with many good things about it. It centres on a priest at a Catholic boy's school and his relationship with two boys in particular. One, who has a crippled leg, he openly despises, whereas the other is his undisguised favourite. The problems start when this boy befriends a free-living traveller who encourages him to rebel, leading to him playing a practical joke on his mentor by confessing to imagined sins from the confessional, which inadvertently lead to murder.
Richard Burton employs his trademark intensity in the role of the priest. The dramatic weight he brings to the table definitely benefits the movie as a whole, with the two young actors playing the boys also doing fine work. We also have an improbable acting appearance from Billy Connolly as the free spirit traveller, who is the catalyst for all the dark drama which follows. The free-living hippy vs the restrictions of Catholicism is one of the dynamics the movie plays off. As a thriller, there isn't a lot of suspense really, although there is a thoroughly unexpected - but very welcome - bit of savage violence late on in the piece where one character receives a (somewhat well deserved) shovel to the head several times! The ending is quite clever as well, with a finale in which Burton's priest finds himself somewhat check-mated from several angles. It has to be said that the characters of the priest and two boys are all somewhat unlikeable, with only Connolly's character being sympathetic at all and even he is hardly without issues - he even receives a good old fashion leathering by a couple of cops 1970's style! All-in-all, this one's well worth seeking out, although its definitely a bit oddball.
Richard Burton employs his trademark intensity in the role of the priest. The dramatic weight he brings to the table definitely benefits the movie as a whole, with the two young actors playing the boys also doing fine work. We also have an improbable acting appearance from Billy Connolly as the free spirit traveller, who is the catalyst for all the dark drama which follows. The free-living hippy vs the restrictions of Catholicism is one of the dynamics the movie plays off. As a thriller, there isn't a lot of suspense really, although there is a thoroughly unexpected - but very welcome - bit of savage violence late on in the piece where one character receives a (somewhat well deserved) shovel to the head several times! The ending is quite clever as well, with a finale in which Burton's priest finds himself somewhat check-mated from several angles. It has to be said that the characters of the priest and two boys are all somewhat unlikeable, with only Connolly's character being sympathetic at all and even he is hardly without issues - he even receives a good old fashion leathering by a couple of cops 1970's style! All-in-all, this one's well worth seeking out, although its definitely a bit oddball.