A Catholic priest, portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones, finds himself reevaluating his career path after a conversation with a man nearing death and an encounter with the woman connected to the deceased, played by Annette O'Toole. M. Emmet Walsh appears as a detective who seems to know everything. "Broken Vows," made in 1987, is officially a TV movie directed by Jud Taylor, someone experienced in television production, and that’s noticeable in how stiffly the actors deliver their lines—almost like they just memorized them. Setting aside that problem, it's easily among Tommy Lee Jones’ best films; however, don’t anticipate anything like the action you’d find in “The Fugitive.” Instead, there are dramatic elements, which can be more engaging than excessive action if handled well, particularly for viewers who appreciate serious stories. Annette O'Toole was 34 years old during filming and Frances Fisher, who has a smaller role as Maureen, also seemed to be at her peak. Jones was 40 at the time. I was also pleased by how artists and their workspaces are shown in the big city setting. I knew some people working in that uncertain field; one of them, my closest friend then, had a studio quite like Stuart Chase’s—also known as Amil—in the movie. The film functions on multiple levels: there's the mystery surrounding a killing, McMahon’s questioning of his job and the Catholic Church itself, and the bond between the two main characters. As my title suggests, it deserves credit for tackling life’s ups and downs and everything that falls in between. A subtle approach is used, which ultimately improves the film. For example, you can feel what's happening beneath the surface without having things explicitly explained. Other movies might need a graphic scene to impress audiences but this one chooses a revealing comment or even just a clasping of hands and a kiss instead. The movie has a running time of 1 hour, 35 minutes and was filmed in Montréal, Québec. GRADE: B+

Source on TMDB