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06/24/06
Conspiracy of Silence (2004)
33 %
Reviews Counted: 24 Fresh: 8 Rotten:16 Average Rating: 5.1/10
Runtime: 90 mins
Synopsis: A powerful indictment of the Catholic Church, CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE is a memorable debut from writer/director John Deery. Set in Ireland, Deery formulates his plot around whispers and rumors surrounding the sexuality of priests, then pulls them kicking and screaming onto the screen.... [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Jonathan Forbes, Jason Barry, Brenda Fricker, Hugh Bonneville, John Lynch
Reviews
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08/16/07
Top Critic
Catholic nay-sayers will probably have a field day with the movie, but most would be better served by any one of the numerous documentaries that cover the same topic.
08/08/05
The kind of film that has its heart in the right place: exposing corruption. But it loses credibility by doing so in a melodramatic way.
03/17/05
A good cast (Brenda Fricker, Hugh Bonneville and assorted veterans of British and Irish film and TV) gives Deery's film weight and credibility.
03/11/05
The need to portray the powers-that-be at all levels -- from the Vatican to the local parish -- in the worst possible light intrudes upon the movie, making it feel like a personal vendetta.
02/11/05
Conspiracy of Silence is well-meaning but has has no faith in its audience.
01/29/05
Though Conspiracy of Silence misses a chance at being a first-rate drama, it sheds much-needed light on an area that the mainstream press has mysteriously abandoned.
12/08/04
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12/05/04
The limp thriller plot Deery constructs to frame his theological inquiries is both artificial and not very interesting, a lethal combination.
12/03/04
Certainly a debate over the church's tradition of an unmarried clergy ... could be a good and worthy one. But a quick, clumsy melodrama -- complete with awkward, pop-scored sex scenes -- isn't the best venue.
12/03/04
While the subject of enforced priestly celibacy is important, here it is dealt with in a workman-like manner lacking vibrancy.
12/03/04
Deery's points are well-taken, but they would have been a lot better made if he hadn't taken so many easy shots at the church by demonizing its local authorities.
12/03/04
For American audiences who have followed recent Church scandals, this less-than-penetrating exposé will be of mild interest.
12/03/04
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12/02/04
Top Critic
John Deery's modest drama is one big, obvious argument against the vow of celibacy for Roman Catholic priests, but it has heart.
12/02/04
Top Critic
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