The Third Miracle (1999)

Perfect cast and a good story

People are voting emotionally.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

See Peter Heeling's comment Aug 2003 and you will find some brevity that lends great commentary and thought regarding this fine movie. I liked your comment immensely Mr. Heeling. Now, of course it doesn't cover everything without rendering the movie away. Sometimes we find a really good movie that is entertaining, thought provoking, and a work that sets up some serious adversaries played by actors with superior talent. As a great fan of Ed Harris' and Armin Mueller-Stahls, what more can one ask for. The Brilliant yet confused American Priest Postulate vs the just as confused yet in a different way, the haughty German Bishop played to the hilt perfectly by Mueller-Stahl. We just love it when he displays his "I got you last" comments on Priest/Postulate Ed Harris who is just as tenacious, maybe even more so. Harris is backed up by his corner man,his Bishop played by Ed Haid who really almost steals the entire show. You must see these guys at work with the wonderful bantering, the fight for the win. The cigar smoking, whiskey drinking Bishop Cahill played by Charles Haid just cracks the perfect fire on top of the candle. Yes, this cast is not to be missed within fabulous dialog, encompassing thought provoking plot and themes, voices raised up and miracles, well I wouldn't know about that. Would I? To top it off we get a gander at a terrifically beautiful up and coming actress, Ms, Caterina Scorsone. She is wonderfully messed up in her part, and yes a well done job delivering her roll. One really can not ask for a more enjoyable film. Everything seems to fit and yet the mysteries still remain throughout very nicely. One can not leave out a comment on an absolutely enchanting musical score. While this is a great movie, it certainly would not be as good without the finely tuned musical score that plays throughout. A copy of which, I can not find. Please notify your fellow movie lover and IMDb supporter if you know where I can get a copy of he score. Come to think of it Turner Classic Movies and this fabulous web site IMDb, are definitely two of the finer additions to the digital age and the world at large.

This is a review for those who saw the film but didn't think it's first rate. I ask you to look again. So, pardon the spoiler. It takes confirmation of three miracles to elect a candidate to sainthood. By the end of the film, two have been confirmed. And what a wonderful way to confirm the second miracle? The confirmation is given by the Devil's Advocate himself.But, pay attention to the title of the film.What is the third miracle?Magnificent. A thinking man's film.Hollywood should be ashamed. They could never make a film this good.

This film is amazingly crafted, well-acted and thought provoking. Ed Harris gives one of his best performances (in fact, I strongly believe he deserved an Oscar nomination for THIS and not the overrated Pollock). Anne Heche delivers a strong, three-dimensional performance on a character that is hard to play. The flashbacks are beautifully shot and this film really brings up issues about faith, love and forgiveness. If you are a fan of Ed Harris, seek out this film.

As a person who has studied Christian theology formally, I really appreciate movies about Christians that treat issues of faith with respect and depth. This movie does that.Unlike most movies, The Third Miracle avoids either extreme of making the leading character too pious or too cynical. I highly recommend it to any present or former seminarian like myself.It was probably the best movie out of the dozen or more I saw in summer '00