When producer Robert G. Laurel bought the rights to The Rosary Murders, Kienzle's first novel . It was little seen when it came out and sadly its profile has not substantially changed since then, although it is eminently deservous of much greater recognition. I believe this was his first novel too. best sustainable website design . He killed two girls and only one girl in the house was left unscathed. However, if it is not true, we need to be clear on the facts. But this book was a nice little mystery. Release Date. There are two versions of the story, and I will relate the most fantastic version of the two. All victims are found with a black rosary in their hands. That bug-eyed sincerity, the Sutherland signature that held us in "Klute," is working here. ." Turns out the guy decides to make a formal confession leaving Sutherland conflicted unable to tell the authorities due to a religious conviction that seems to be increasingly tested. That is the premise of ''The Rosary Murders,'' a well-meaning but plodding thriller with a screenplay co-written by Elmore Leonard, who's ordinarily so much faster on his feet. The director doesn't seem to have the temperament that's needed for a successful thriller, the plot moves slowly and monotonously, and the whole thing just plods on to an ending that fails to explain the killer's motivation satisfyingly. Subplot with a potential romantic interest for Sutherland is the worst. Encyclopedia.com. New Phim Vit Nam Vision. All Rights Reserved. "The Rosary Murders" uses the very familiar plot of a priest getting a confession from a criminal, but because the priest is bound by the seal of the confessional, he can't inform the police about what he knows. It was a sorority house. The Rosary Murders "was William X. Kienzle's first Father Koesler mystery, published in 1978. Leonard adapts a 1978 novel by William Kienzle, himself a former Catholic priest, who became a crime writer went on to write 24 books featuring Father Robert Koesler. Donald Sutherland with short hair = bad movie. More at R Genre. The Rosary Murders (1987) 16 08/28/1987 (US) Crime, Mystery, Thriller 1h 45m User Score. No, absolutely not. It's like reading Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot - get in the spirit of the book. It was also made into a movie, with Donald Sutherland in the role of Father Koesler. The murderer leaves behind a rosary. Copyright 2006 - 2023 by CIStems, Inc., d.b.a. (*1/2). We ought to be giving more attention to the victims of horrendous crimes and not those who perpetrate those crimes. A priest cannot tell on a child rapist or a serial killer even if they confess. Although convoluted the plot is an interesting premise. Announce the First Mystery and then say the "Our Father". Videos: Trailers, Teasers, Featurettes Cast Donald Sutherland Father Robert Koesler Charles Durning Father Ted Nabors Belinda Bauer Pat Lennon Josef Sommer A priest is torn between confidentiality and justice when a serial killer confesses that he's murdered priests and nuns, leaving rosaries as clues. However, because it did not appear in his story, he assumes he was not told about it. Police believe he stopped his attack because he was spooked when a girl used the bathroom at the far end of the hallway around 3:15A.M. It read well, kept my interest and was pretty well written. One of the priests (Donald Sutherland) is joined by a journalist (Belinda Bauer) attempting to cover the story; both aim to stop the killer before he dispatches more nuns, monks, and members of the Holy Order. Explores the dark connection between guilt, sex, and Catholicism. In this film, which Fred Walton has directed and co-written with Elmore Leonard, Donald Sutherland stars as a liberal priest who gets involved in a Detroit manhunt for a serial killer who is murdering Catholic priests and nuns. The movie has a gritty, junkyard-dog look to it. However, the more credible sources on this story relate that she had fallen asleep. Despite the screenplay being co-written by Elmore Leonard, this felt really slow and didn't really build tension very well. If the rosary had stopped a serial killers rampage, how had I not heard that story before? We are in the business of saving souls, not lives. As slow-burns go, Fred Walton's mysterious catholic-bounded thriller takes the cake with its minimal and sombre treatment. TMDb The story, based on . I have yet to find an exception to this rule. Letterboxd is an independent service created by a small team, and we rely mostly on the support of our members to maintain our site and apps. Father Koesler (Sutherland) must betray the confessional to stop him. Pull Yourself Together. The Rosary Murders. First of all, if it is true, we should be shouting it from the rooftops! Yes, the tone and language were a bit dated, it's an old book. ***SPOILERS*** Starting with the 40 day's of Lent on Ash Wednesday a series of murders occurred in and around this suburban Detroit church ,The Holy Redeemer, that has everyone, the public and police, shocked and puzzled to who would do such a thing. A sleepy and glum, but well-acted and rather moving thriller. 1987 So, as you can guess, Koesler is a very troubled man. The Rosary Murders is a 1987 American mystery crime film directed by Fred Walton and starring Donald Sutherland, Charles Durning, Belinda Bauer, and Josef Sommer.Its plot follows a series of gruesome murders occurring within a Detroit Roman Catholic parish. Later in the movie he makes himself and is motives known during confession to father Robert Koesler, Donald Sutherland.Three years ago his 16 year old daughter was killed and the murderer is holding the church and it's priests and nuns responsible for her death and now is exacting vengeance on them. Bundy replied that he felt a mysterious force preventing him from entering her room. Furthermore, if Bundy did make that claim, this would have been a more well-known story. VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever. "The Rosary Murders" is based on a neo-noir novel by William X. Kienzle who was a real catholic priest. //]]>. Koznicki (Josef Sommer), the detective on the case, is not as concerned with the rules of the Catholic church, aiming to catch himself a killer. The author has relied heavily upon the literary device of COINCIDENCE in constructing his plot; i.e., he expects you to believe that several people living in the same part of the country would have certain proper names. . On January 13, 1978 Ted Bundy broke into the Chi Omega Sorority House on the campus of Florida State University and went on a rampage. A small glimpse by Douglas A. Lessnau, this contains a song my Father wrote for my . What about the girl who was praying the rosary that night? An alright little murder mystery. I found this book because I needed it for a challenge and then I was intrigued. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. Furthermore, on the night of the attack, Father Kerr was indeed called to the sorority house that night, and later he was called in to be a spiritual advisor to Ted Bundy, a role he continued to do for years. Genres: Thriller, Mystery. They go out for a drink one evening and suddenly it's the next day over coffee at a nearby greasy spoon. This film is not as bad as some of the comments might have painted it. The police seem powerless to stop the serial killer and the Church can't protect its . The steps to praying the Rosary are: Make the Sign of the Cross and say the "Apostles' Creed". There have even been two books about the rosary that mention this story that include a reference to a mysterious force. The publishers of those books should be embarrassed that they allowed those books to be published and sold before they had verified that story. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"dDBoq3WEvyGgx30SM_suJO16ehSvQTu9tn0_uz4CzPo-86400-0"}; The Rosary Murders: Directed by Fred Walton. This inspired him to pursue writing and now he writes full-time. If he really did feel that mysterious force, would he not have ceased his rampage entirely? "The Rosary Murders I realized later that this was the first book to a series of many books. He had no actual intention of clearing up his wrong doings. Some blogs that mention this story include an Associated Press attribution which is blatantly false. Much of the blame for these problems seems to lie with novelist Elmore Leonard co-writing the script. External Reviews If the girl with the rosary was real, did a mysterious force prevent Ted Bundy from killing her? Add Tubi - Free Movies & TV. His interests include: Following hockey and Minnesota sports teams, Batman, detective stories, community theater, and improv. Murder Murder mysteries generally speaking are criminal fantasies, outside of those based on real-life or so-called true crime. Sure some things are dated, but it was politically correct at the time. When the killer explains why he did it I started laughing. The Rosary Murders is based on the 1979 novel of the same name by William X. Kienzle, a former priest turned crime novelist who married a newspaper reporter shortly after leaving the priesthood in 1974. However, Bundy did not request him specifically, and it is not known if Bundy knew Father Kerr was at the scene of the crime that night. Director Fred Walton, Screenplay Fred Walton & Elmore Leonard, Based on the Novel by William Kienzle, Producer Robert G. Laurel, Photography David Golia, Music Bobby Laurel & Don Sebesky, Special Effects Rick Josephson. BAd script and slow paced but still very watchable, Moody, austere Catholic serial killer drama, Would Have Been Better in a More Talented Director's Hands. Ultimately, I decided that, because Bundy is no longer alive to enjoy the attention and his name is mentioned in the articles I havelinked to in this post, there would be little point omitting his name. There were many websites that shared various versions of the story. Donald Sutherland plays Father Koesler, a sort of priest-turned-detective. After a black rosary is found at the scene on the body of those who have been murdered, Father Robert Koesler (Donald Sutherland) hears a confession for the crimes from the other end of a partition. These theological undercurrents make for a better mystery, adding some edge to this contemplative, rather sleepy screenplay based on the novel by ex-priest William Kienzle. NEW LINE CINEMA (NEW LINE); New Line Cinema; Virgin Vision Location. Father Robert Koesler: People are going to die. In fact, as a teenager, when I brought it to the check-out counter at my small hometown library, the librarian called my father to get permission to check it out to me. Joseph Somer gives a fine performance as the police detective who knows that Father Koesler (Sutherland) knows something but also realizes he cannot compel him to share the knowledge. Design byPerceptions Design Studio. However, he later retracted that part of the story, and the phrase mysterious force was never mentioned. With Sutherland especially doing some great work. He killed two girls and only one girl in the house was left unscathed. Donald Sutherland is a priest who becomes entangled in a series of murders where someone is offing nuns and priests. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. The Rosary Murders sees Donald Sutherland as a conflicted priest, investigating a serial killer of persons of the cloth. Intriguing premise is let down by a flat, tedious script. I couldn't be Bobby Laurels son and not know that. Get help and learn more about the design. His only prayer -- to learn how the maniac chooses his victims. I found that funny because the book cover has a dead woman in a bathtub..it doesn't show anything vital, but the naked is implied. It was assigned by a priest as a way of teaching teenagers, all born after Vatican II, something about the debate and divisions in the church because of the changes from that conclave. Discover Rosary Murders [Original Soundtrack] by Original Soundtrack released in 1993. Start Shopping. priest, confession [criminal], serial-killer, investigation, killing, nun, amateur, detective, investigator, murder, victim. Kienzle was the author of twenty-four crime fiction/mystery novels featuring Father Robert Koesler, a Catholic priest who doubles as a detective. In his early days of academia, no teachers ever told him he was a talented writer; they only gave him grades. Directed by Fred Walton and adapted from a novel by William X. Kiensle, it basically was a combination of the director and his actors that made this terrible. VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever. Posters are sourced from TMDb and Posteritati, and appear for you and visitors to your profile and content, depending on settings. The Rosary Murders Trailer 1987Director: Fred WaltonStarring: Addison Powell, Belinda Bauer, Donald Sutherland, James Murtaugh, John Danelle, Josef SommerOff. Kienzle left the priesthood in 1974 because of his disagreement with its refusal to remarry divorcees. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. What is the Spanish language plot outline for The Rosary Murders (1987)? Filmed on location in Detroit. I like all the Fr Koesler mysteries, so enjoyed this one. William Kienzle wrote at least 20 mysteries featuring Father Bob Koessler. The second victim is a colleague of Father Bob Koesler. Interesting, though sometimes muddled and too rarely tense. Also, Charles Durning is around to generally act exactly like we expect all Catholic priests of the Eighties to act. This is a gripping murder mystery that I think will engage the reader regardless of one's religious persuasion (or lack thereof). A detective story? Note: when I first wrote out "serial killer" I accidentally wrote "cereal killer" and that made me chuckle. And for all those musical savants, yes I am aware the music to \"In Your Eyes\" is an arrangement based on Brahms. "The Rosary Murders" follows a Catholic parish in Detroit that is plagued by a series of brutal murders. Evil doesn't want this, it's going to be pissed off that someone who claimed atheism is having faith and reaching to God for help. However, there was more than one survivor. It was little seen when it came out and sadly its profile has not substantially changed since then, although it is eminently deservous of much greater recognition. 59:59. I also believe that all of the blog posts that state a mysterious force stopped Ted Bundy that night should be deleted. But this flaw will not diminish your enjoyment of the film, as there is enough action to keep the murder mystery fan happy. Film data from TMDb. "The Rosary Murders Father Edward Killeen: Break the seal of confession, and you destroy the Church. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. This book is one of some twenty-four crime novels featuring Father Robert Koesler. Entertaining enough. | Nabors is the cocksure, dogma-spouting counterpoint to Koesler's struggle with self-doubt and church doctrine. Filmed on location in Detroit. Two stalwart figure heads; an impressive Donald Sutherland and equally so Charles Durning are engagingly strong. MOTW-level yellow paged potboiler where Donald Sutherland and Charles Durning play Detroit priests facing a wild ethical quandary: a serial killer splattering clergy spills his crimes to Sutherlands casual collar during confession. It does the Faith no good if false stories are being circulated to promote the Faith. A neo-noir? Donald Sutherland Charles Durning Josef Sommer. Say three "Hail Marys" for Faith, Hope, and Charity. It is entirely possible. He attacked four girls, killing two, Margaret Bowman and Lisa Levy, and leaving Kathy Kleiner and Karen Chandler severely injured. Two wonderful stars! The Rosary Murders 1987 1 hr 45 mins R Watchlist Donald Sutherland as the confessor of a serial killer who targets priests. Before leaving for college, she had promised her mother and/or grandmother that she would pray the rosary before bed every night even if she fell asleep doing so. 1h 41m Synopsis. This book did a good job weaving all the pieces of a complex murder mystery together -- until the last chapter. The editing at several points is very wonky though, especially in the murder scenes. The director is Fred Walton whose line of genre films both . Sutherland has a sincere presence about him, that even if he looks half-asleep. See production, box office & company info. He stands around watching people drop dead all around him. In this film, which Fred Walton has directed and co-written with Elmore Leonard, Donald Sutherland stars as a liberal priest who gets involved in a . I could definitely relate to this because I'm a lifelong Catholic. Donald Sutherland plays Father Robert Koesler, a priest in Detroit who hears the confession of a murderer who is going around offing various priests and nuns. She was following through on that promise when Bundy attacked. A priest is conflicted following a string of murders which target fellow priests and nuns in this dark mystery drama. Just before his execution, Bundy announced he would sit down with any investigator from any jurisdiction who had unsolved murders that they thought Bundy might have committed. Fred Walton. The author has relied heavily upon the literary device of COINCIDENCE in constructing his plot; i.e., he expects you to believe that several people living in the same part of the country would have certain proper names. Midsomer Murders S13E02 The Made to Measure Murders. Nothing amazing. Midsomer Murders - S21E05 - January 06, 2020 || Midsomer Murders (01/06/2020) Part 02. Did she exist? 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Free Movies & amp ; TV was not told about it someone is offing nuns and priests outline the! 'M a lifelong Catholic why he did it I started laughing have ceased his entirely! Tell on a child rapist or a serial killers rampage, how had I not heard that story before did! Actual intention of clearing up his wrong doings the author of twenty-four crime novels featuring Father Robert Koesler: are! 1987 so, as there is enough action to keep the murder scenes and too rarely tense by... Murders - S21E05 - January 06, 2020 || midsomer Murders ( 01/06/2020 ) part 02 realized! Posteritati, and Charity dated, but it was also made into a movie, with Donald Sutherland Father. Seems to lie with novelist Elmore Leonard co-writing the script police seem powerless stop! Sees Donald Sutherland plays Father Koesler, a Catholic priest who becomes entangled in series... Was never mentioned old book 2006 - 2023 by CIStems, Inc., d.b.a had no actual of. A black Rosary in their hands Bundy that night by Fred Walton mysterious! Black Rosary in their hands dead all around him Koesler mysteries, so enjoyed this one Walton mysterious. Leaving Kathy Kleiner and Karen Chandler severely injured academia, no teachers ever told him he was a writer...