Of the many questions you might ask while watching the latest Luc Besson-produced bargain bin action flick, Father Joe, the first is most certainly: What the hell — forgive me father, I meant what the heck — were Kiefer Sutherland and Al Pacino thinking by signing on to this thing?
Another is: When is the movie supposed to be taking place? The cars all seem to be from the late ’70s or ’80s, but there are desktop PCs and old Nokia cell phones. My guess is that it’s sometime in the 1990s, the period during which Besson hit his high mark helming stylized thrillers like La Femme Nikita and The Professional. It also feels like that could have been when he first dashed off the script for Father Joe, stuffed it in a drawer, and then for reasons that are most likely financial, decided to resurrect it for us today.
Father Joe
The Bottom Line
A bargain bin B-movie.
