Stigmata

Starring: Patricia Arquette, Gabriel Byrne
Director: Rupert Wainwright
Genre: Thriller
Year: 1999
Rating: 3 / 5

I must admit that I am getting tired of watching films that hint at such great promise, only to toss viewers out in the cold by their conclusions. Perhaps my thoughts are currently skewed, as the woeful conclusion to The Bone Collector is still fresh in my mind. Regardless, Rupert Wainwright's Stigmata suggests a very deep, very profound film, only to wind up sinking into the abyss of everyday thrillers. This is not to say that the buildup is not rewarding in its own right, for the first hour of Stigmata is thoroughly engrossing. As we watch our heroine being branded with the symbols of God, we are shown a doorway into an underground Vatican society intent on preserving the Catholic faith. If only this great promise had actually delivered its oft-suggested payoff.

Frankie Paige (Patricia Arquette) is a twenty-three-year-old woman working in a hair salon in urban America. A self-proclaimed atheist, Frankie is stunned when her wrists begin spontaneously bleeding one day while she is bathing in her tub. Her wrists show signs of having been pierced, leading the medical staff to conclude that Frankie has attempted to kill herself. With no witnesses to this event, even her friends begin to doubt her. While on a subway car one day, however, she lurches into a violent fit. Her clothes are literally ripped from her back, revealing fresh whip marks. This happens in the presence of Father Durning (Thomas Kopache), who senses that this strange occurrence must be brought to the attention of the Vatican.

Eager to learn more about this incident, and to make sure that no bad publicity should be received, the Vatican, under the control of Cardinal Daniel Houseman (Jonathan Pryce), dispatches Father Andrew Kiernan (Gabriel Byrne) to investigate. While Father Kiernan initially dismisses Frankie's injuries, informing her that the stigmata only appear through deeply religious individuals, he slowly comes to realize that something unprecedented is afoot. As he gets closer to the truth, and he comes into contact with an ostracized faction of priests, Kiernan becomes aware that the Vatican has some long-buried secrets, secrets which will be protected at all costs.

Director Rupert Wainwright does a masterful job of building tension and setting the stage in this taut thriller, but the conclusion fails to live up to the hype. The rogue element within the Vatican is brought to light by Wainwright, but, in so doing, he hints at much more sinister undertakings that are never fully explained. Having seen this film on DVD, I had the opportunity to view its original theatrical ending as well as the director's "alternate" ending, and neither provides the sort of wrap-up that this film deserves. Gabriel Byrne and Patricia Arquette do deliver strong performances throughout the film, though Jonathan Pryce is too one-dimensional and generally absent to leave much of a mark. Stigmata is an excellent example of a film that could have been something special, but one which instead resides in the realm of the merely ordinary.

Cast:

Patricia Arquette..........	Frankie Paige
Gabriel Byrne..........	Father Kiernan
Jonathan Pryce..........	Cardinal Houseman
Nia Long..........	Donna Chadway

Certification: Rated R for language.
Running Time: 103 minutes.

Additional Info: Internet Movie Database
Comments: Send E-mail