Beyond Redemption Reviews

When Father Martin, a beloved priest, is crucified inside his own church, Detective Henry Smith (Andrew McCarthy) finds himself baffled by the killer's motivation. Despite the distraction of his young daughter's illness, Smith doggedly plunges into a mystery that soon claims other victims: a charitable sports hero and a common streetwalker. How do they connect with the deceased holy man? Smith's investigative trail winds circuitously through three lives: zealous Father Samuels (Guy Fachon); pious rectory worker Monika Stoeks (Suzy Joachim); and church benefactor Alex Hunter (Michael Ironside). Before the holy terror ceases, Smith discovers that, in order to assuage festering guilt over a long-suppressed childhood trauma, the murderer has taken to doling out retribution against perceived sinners. Lacking the budgets and technical panache of recent big-screen releases like STIGMATA, END OF DAYS and THE NINTH GATE, this horrific religious thriller suffers from ineffectual Church bashing, stalled suspense, unnecessary subplots and that most cardinal of sins: dragging out the denouement. As penance, the viewer languishes in cinematic purgatory while Smith and his cohorts painstakingly piece together the mystery, even though the identity of the murderous God wannabe is rather obvious. And despite the fact that this is the age of the Sensitive Dick, do we really need to concern ourselves with Smith's terminally ill child? Where's Sam Spade when you need him? This film aired on cable before being released on video.