Four Men and a Prayer

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Four Men and a Prayer

1938

1h 25m

Drama

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43%

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7 Reviews

50%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

After being dishonorably discharged for issuing a costly and fatal order, Colonel Loring Leigh (C. Aubrey Smith) gathers his four sons (William Henry, George Sanders, David Niven, Richard Greene) to prove his innocence as a conspiracy victim. But Leigh is murdered, his death disguised as suicide. Now his sons must find the guilty party and restore their father's integrity, while close behind their every move is Lynn Cherrington (Loretta Young), a woman in love with Geoffrey (Greene).

Otis Ferguson

The New Republic

The story itself is a turkey, and this might happen to anybody. But... the thing just in film terms is confused, silly, dispirited and dull.

May 7, 2024

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John Kinloch

California Eagle

The anti-War episodes supply an undercurrent of real conviction without which the film might have seemed a pretty old story and very shallow.

Oct 25, 2019

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Ann Ross

Maclean's Magazine

There are startling shots of revolution and sudden death, but the story is confused and jumpy.

Oct 9, 2019

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Ken Hanke

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

A wildly enjoyable minor Ford work, loaded with all manner of Ford touches, and one truly disturbing sequence that seems to come out of nowhere.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 13, 2014

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Paul Brenner

Filmcritic.com

In Four Men and a Prayer, director John Ford doesn't have one

Rated: 2.5/5

Apr 9, 2009

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Michael E. Grost

Classic Film and Television

Odd drama, with some powerful anti-war scenes attacking the arms trade.

Aug 7, 2008

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Audience Member

Good cast and interesting plot. Heavier than I expected, but with funny bits. Enjoyable.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

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Audience Member

Nice to see the old faces out and about. Half adventure and half mystery it's entirely unpredictable. Great performances by all (especially Greene, Niven and Sanders who is actually a hero).

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

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Audience Member

Yet another interesting story from Ford that takes one to places one never anticipated. I never suspected the direction the film would take based on the opening scenes. The performances are certainly not the strong suit of the film, but the direction and script are the quality one expects from Ford. I think the Grey Fox could have done this better though.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

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Audience Member

A damn good adventure film about a quartet of brothers trying to clear their disgraced fathers name. Lot's of good performances and it never lags with a quick pace.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

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Audience Member

John Ford Ã¤r allt annat Ã¤n i sitt rÃ¤tta element med en film om internationella Ã¤ventyrare. Saknar varje form av trovÃ¤rdighet, men tempot Ã¤r hÃ¶gt och man har Ã¥tminstone inte trÃ¥kigt

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

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Audience Member

Eh, I just never cared enough about what's going on to get into this. Not very funny either.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

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John Ford

Director

Loretta Young

Miss Lynn Cherrington

Richard Greene

Geoffrey Leigh

David Niven

Christopher Leigh

C. Aubrey Smith

Col. Loring Leigh

William Henry

Rodney Leigh

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Synopsis

After being dishonorably discharged for issuing a costly and fatal order, Colonel Loring Leigh (C. Aubrey Smith) gathers his four sons (William Henry, George Sanders, David Niven, Richard Greene) to prove his innocence as a conspiracy victim. But Leigh is murdered, his death disguised as suicide. Now his sons must find the guilty party and restore their father's integrity, while close behind their every move is Lynn Cherrington (Loretta Young), a woman in love with Geoffrey (Greene).

Director: John Ford
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (DVD): Dec 15, 2015
Runtime: 1h 25m