mickey rourke ( who be once a famous movie star ) play martin fallon an ira terrorist who accidentally blow up a school bus full of child who be so disgust by his action decide to leave the ira and go on the run in london . mild spoiler . the movie opening be rather disturb a the life of little child be end in a fireball . thing like this happen throughout the 1970s and 1980s and into the 1990s in northern ireland which give a prayer for the die a stark realism . however as soon a fallon decide he go to give up violence ( what . he a terrorist and he never blow up innocent passerby before . ) realism disappears and clichés and ridiculous plot twist take place . martin be employ by the london underworld ( don not they have their own hit men . ) to commit a hit while he wear an ira uniform ( never know the provo wear uniform ) at a cemetery in broad daylight ( wouldn not an ira man use a bomb place under a car . ) where he spot by a priest who recognise him while he be in the sa . hand up who think i be lie . i be not and be half way through the running time and there still several clichés to come this all sound very silly and it be but what do you expect from a novel by jack higgins . everything be clichéd and contrived and stereotypical and the bit that aren not be just plain bizarre . the critic slaughter this movie when it come out and most notably they state that it might have some potential if the movie have bob hoskins play gangster jack meehan and alan bates play the sa soldier turn priest and for once the critic would have be right . they should also note the film might have be less dire if fallon be play by someone who be capable of do an irish accent . rourke might be hunky and macho ( oh gawd another movie with an ira uberhunk ) but accent aren not his strong point any more than character acting be . to give you an idea how disappointing prayer for the dying be the director end up disown it which be always a bad sign a a footnote the original release of prayer for the dying in britain be delay for several month because of the enniskillen bombing . in november 1987 the provisional ira explode a bomb in the centre of enniskillen where a remembrance day parade which commemorate britain war dead be be hold . eleven ( 11 ) people be kill and score more injured . it wasn not an accident and no one leave the ira because of it .