It might have been little more than a thinly camouflaged big screen sermon, but this portrait (produced by an arm of the Catholic Church itself) of martyred El Salvador Archbishop Oscar Romero is neither religious propaganda nor a political manifesto. It's the story of a simple man of faith whose conscience would not allow him to remain silent when confronted by the escalating bloodshed of civil warfare, and Raul Julia's performance in the title role highlights all the Archbishop's conviction and sometimes clumsy sense of humility. The film works best when addressing the age-old conflict between Church and State, and to its credit is not above criticizing the policies of either institution. Director John Duigan thankfully doesn't try to sensationalize the climate of violence leading up to the crime (compare the film to Oliver Stone's typically overwrought 'Salvador'), but the assassination itself is (sadly) played for maximum (melo) dramatic impact. What follows is a familiar (and completely redundant) end-title moral with the usual grim statistics, but in balance the film presents an honest and sometimes moving story, with an essentially humanist message: "Someone", says the Archbishop, "must have the courage to say 'enough'."
