I'm not sure what to make of this film.

It starts off with a great deal of promise, and for the first half an hour or so, is actually quite entertaining. Shades of The Graduate, in a way, with some nice bits of humour.

Then it sorts of changes tack into a family melodrama, following a course which is telegraphed well in advance. No more humour. No more much of anything really, except the expected romance between the priest and the heroine.

Oh, there are a few surprises along the way, mostly about the priest's background, but stories of priests falling in love are hardly new. This particular priest has very little remorse or soul-searching, except for one attempt at confession - and a halfhearted one at that.

The script is not at all charitable to the Catholic religion, making it plain that running a church is a business like any other, and that it is good to stay on the right side of wealthy benefactors.

In my humble opinion, the characters - especially the men - do not ring true to life. The priest does things you would not expect from a man of the cloth, like breaking into a house when ringing the front door bell would have been just as easy. The husband, desperate for an heir (even if only in name), is quite happy to let his wife shag up with young men he doesn't even know - and he then develops a hate for them.

I left feeling that there were so many avenues the film could have explored - from the illicit romance, to the murder coverup, but which were left untouched. Perhaps because other films have dealt with these issues at too great a length already. Problem is, by ignoring them, we are left with much unfinished business at the end.

Nor does the film examine the shocking premise - for the early 1930s setting - of hiring young men for stud duty in any great detail. There is so much there that could have been explored, and great potential for conflict.

The acting was generally good, except for a few scenes which hinted of overacting. The film is more likely to appeal to older audiences who enjoy period dramas. Action fans should choose the X-Files instead.