That was an excellent one.

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Of course it is not a good movie. For example, you have a lot of actors acting as they were in an "hippie" trip. They have long hair, trimmed beard, they have earrings.. it is unbelievable. The edition is confuse.... It is really awful. And Mickey Rourke have tattoos in his arms and shoulder ! Is it possible ? Saint Francesco with tattoos... If you compare this film with the fantastic "Brother sun, sister moon" from Zeffirelli, you'll see what a difference ! They are both about the same person, but completely different. That one is a musical, a little bit bored, but is fantastic, all the actors are perfect. The one that perform Saint Francesco IS really Saint Francesco reincorporated ! Don't waist your time with this film. Liliana Cavani was right in the "Il portiere di notte", but not now ! I was wondering why they don't sell this DVD anymore and now I found ! It is a lost of time.

...or one of them. This is - so far- the best portrayal of Saint Francis of Assisi I have ever seen. I was surprised. I actually cried. But Rourke knows how to move ya believe it or not. Fantastic acting and scenery. The feel is right and the story is based more on basic facts than the usual overly-dramatic, semi-fictional scripts that we see too often from Hollywood produced "bios". This film was shot in Italy and you get a real sense of our dear Saint here. Helena Bonham Carter's portrayal of Saint Clare of Assisi is wonderful. She truly brings Clare to life here - or gives you a sense of realism and passion and true friendship. Unlike the 60's "version" and others - this is the one to see if you want to understand the basics of Francis. I also suggest reading the "Little Flowers of Saint Francis of Assisi" and "The Life of Saint Francis of Assisi" - the latter book written by Saint Bonaventure.

That will tell us what we might expect to gain from this movie. For fans of either Mickey Rourke or Helena Bonham Carter, its another chance to see them stretch their acting muscles to grasp and conquer characters previously untouched. The casual viewer might not suffer any distraction whatsoever.For the viewer who has experienced other portrayals of St Francis, or one who is looking for a deeper understanding of the saint, it may be difficult to get past the casting choices for these 2 main characters. An awareness of Mickey Rourke's other prominent roles may taint our perception of his ability or suitability for this task. Innocence is not something we expect from the actor, and I had difficulty recognizing it. I cringed at times when his performance seemed almost "sexy", not a word I would ever want to use to describe a saint. Is it unreasonable to expect Francesco to seem somehow super-spiritual? Maybe.Remembering Helen Bonham Carter's cinematic history further crippled my ability to "suspend disbelief". While both are accomplished actors, and able to draw an audience, it seemed counterproductive to cast such readily identifiable stars for this venture. It was like watching Tom Cruise portray Lincoln.I'm sorry to say that while the script was good and there was so much more to glean from the film in general, I found myself unable to ignore "the 800 lb gorilla in the room".

As far as I know not that many people have seen this underrated epic starring Mickey Rourke but if your a fan of his work you should definitely check this out.Rourke is cast as the historical figure Francis of Assisi and delivers a tour de force performance. Few actors can match Rourke for showing emotion in their acting but in this film he gives a masterclass. His character starts off rich in a wealthy family only for him to sacrifice all of this in favour of living the life of a beggar, having read in a book details of the life of Jesus Christ. Rourkes character then somewhat mirrors Jesus by spreading his gospel and becoming champion of the poor.What makes this film so great is the enormous emotion portrayed in the characters and the haunting music of Vangelis added to the beauty in the cinematography and the directors storytelling. There are many memorable scenes but the extraordinary final act from Rourke will live long in the memory long after the film has finished.A must for Mickey fans and a chance for new fans to witness him in a very different but remarkable film.