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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Toni" data-source="post: 416746" data-attributes="member: 82">Here is a movie I´ve watched that I´d like to recommend before talking about its production details: "The Man From Rome". This is its official synopsis:A computer hacker 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".[ATTACH=full]55321[/ATTACH] Isn´t the poster cool and old-fashioned?Starring Richard Armitage (from "The Hobbit" and "Berlin Station" fame), "CSI´S" Paul Guilfoyle, "Falcon Crest´s" Paul Freeman, Fionnula Flanagan, Féodor Atkine, and a bunch of good Spanish actors like Alicia Borrachero, Unax Ugalde, Carlos Cuevas and Jorge Sanz. Oh and then there is also model-turned-actress Amaia Salamanca, who looks very much like Keri Russell. You might know her from streaming shows like "Velvet" and "Grand Hotel". Yes, it´s a co-production between US, Spain, Italy and Colombia, but don´t let that scare you away, because the movie is very entertaining, though sometimes predictable.[ATTACH=full]55322[/ATTACH] I also happen to like this one...I must say that I expected the worst, but got a nice surprise. It´s a 2-hour suspenseful action movie that takes a bit from the James Bond saga, the "Da Vinci" adaptations, and even the long series of Liam Neeson films a la "Taken", though it´s not a masterpiece, but good to see how everything revolves around the story instead of the stunt casting, the CG effects or the sex scenes.Here Armitage is a priest who works as an investigator for the Vatican and is sent to Seville to find the truth about some murders related to a church. He meets all the players in the game: an aristocratic Sevillian family with a matriarch and an unhappily married heiress, her corrupt future ex-husband, ready to make the deal of the century, and the other priests linked to the mystery, including some of them who are hackers![ATTACH=full]55323[/ATTACH] Seville photographs nicely but it´s wasted though.The whole movie is filmed in exteriors from Roma, Madrid and Seville, and the action sequences are well-directed. Of course, it works because Armitage is in his element after playing so many agents (he took the role because he wanted to become a James Bond who also was a priest...). The supporting cast has been meticulously chosen, and all the actors speak English in the original version, even the Spanish ones, who are oddly dubbed in the Spanish version because...they don´t know the technique...! Now for the trailer. [MEDIA=youtube]xHU-f6ELD34[/MEDIA] The Colombian director said that the movie was not addressed to the Spanish audiences, but the international market, which was one of the worst PR statements that you can do when promoting a movie...in Spain. The script adapts a novel by Spanish author Arturo Pérez-Reverte (whose novel "El Club Dumas" was filmed as "The Ninth Gate" starring Johnny Depp).[ATTACH=full]55324[/ATTACH] Voilà another of Armitage´s hardest scenes... I knew nothing about this movie when I found it while looking for more Armitage vehicles, and I was sad to see that it actually didn´t recover its budget (lost 7 million!). However, since it´s a Prime production I hope it will attract more people. There are clichés and a few unlikely things, but it´s entertaining and tells a story. By the way, its Spanish title is "Skin of Drum", meaning that Catholic Church is like that, that resists all blows. Not an awful depiction of religion at the end, but its vision isn´t perfect at all either.[ATTACH=full]55325[/ATTACH] Richard´s vision MUST be perfect!Note for the "Falcon Crest" fans: Paul Freeman has a special role here playing one of the priests. To be honest I didn´t recognize him (he sports white long hair and beard), until one scene when "war treasures" afloat in a conversation... He was in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and, of course, as Riebmann / De Bercy on "Falcon Crest". Funny how I needed this subject to identify him... This movie complete his "Raiders" trilogy and, surprise again, [SPOILER="he has two identities here too!"][/SPOILER]. Have you watched this film, [USER=5151]@TJP[/USER]? In Germany its title includes the subtitle of "Der Vatikan Code"!Last but  not least, the inspired score is signed by Spanish musician Roque Baños, also author of remarkable works in movies like "Sexy Beast", "The Machinist", "Don´t Breathe", "The Oxford Crimes", and "The Kovak Box" (another good example of Spanish co-production, highly watchable).</blockquote>

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