The Third Miracle

1999 1h 59m EN

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 54

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The Vatican sends a priest to verify some miracles, performed by a woman who has been nominated for sainthood...

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Ed Harris
Frank Shore
Anne Heche
Roxanne
Armin Mueller-Stahl
Erzbischof Werner
Charles Haid
Bishop Cahill
Ken James
Father Paul Panak
Barbara Sukowa
Helen O’Regan
Sofia Polanska
Young Helena
Pavol Simon
Helena's Father

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Agnieszka Holland
Writers: Richard Vetere, John Romano
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

27 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Agnieszka Holland, shot by Jerzy Zieliński. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jan A. P. Kaczmarek. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor David Siegel shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Ed Harris and Anne Heche and Armin Mueller-Stahl carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0174268 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 54 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Agnieszka Holland directs. Jerzy Zieliński behind the camera. Jan A. P. Kaczmarek scores. David Siegel cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

127 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Agnieszka Holland, shot by Jerzy Zieliński. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Jan A. P. Kaczmarek. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor David Siegel shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Ed Harris and Anne Heche and Armin Mueller-Stahl carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0174268 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 54 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
8Classified under 8 themes, including "faith", "religion and supernatural", "miracle", "priest".

The technical file

Cinematography: Jerzy Zieliński
Original score: Jan A. P. Kaczmarek
Editing: David Siegel
Production design: Robert de Vico
Costume design: Denise Cronenberg
Runtime: 119 min · 1h 59m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Third Miracle (1999)

Also by

Agnieszka Holland

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2026-08-17
★ 7/10
A disillusioned Catholic investigates miracles associated with a deceased woman Ed Harris stars in this drama that’s similar to Tommy Lee Jones’ “Broken Vows” from a dozen years earlier. “Agnes of God” (1985) is also comparable. It could be viewed as sort of the Catholic version of Robert Duvall’s “The Apostle” from a couple years prior. It effectively illustrates a minister’s service in the underbelly of the big city and the challenges thereof (in this case, Chicago). For instance, Shore (Harris) observes a young prostitute enter some dude’s semi, and he just can’t sit idly by. His lowkey struggle with his faith is well done as he encounters a lively woman, who stirs much-needed life within him (Anne Heche). There’s a large graveyard sequence that’s particularly notable. Meanwhile the subdued climax elicits an almost ‘wow’ reaction when you realize what the eponymous miracle is. I’m a believer, but not a Catholic, and so I’m not keen on the idea of the beatification or canonization of a deceased person for sainthood seeing as how, in the Scriptures, any genuine person of God is called a saint, whether Old or New Testament. What Catholics mean by ‘sainthood,’ by contrast, is a believer who’s extraordinarily close to God and officially recognized by the Roman Church, confirmed by 2-3 proven miracles associated with him/her. So, it comes down to the unique terminology and definitions of this specific sect. I can roll with that, but not the concept of praying to physically deceased saints so they can intercede to the LORD for you in Heaven. It’s totally foreign to the Bible and Roxane in the movie even pokes fun at it to which Shore has no answer. First Timothy 2:5 plainly shows that Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and humanity. If you can overlook that issue, however, this is a quality drama that’s superior to “Agnes of God” IMHO, and close to being on par with “Broken Vows.” “The Apostle” reigns supreme though, assuming you don’t mind Pentecostalism. To close, you’ll probably appreciate this flick if you favor movies like “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” or 2003’s “Levity.” It runs 1h 58m and was shot Oct-Dec 1998 in Hamilton & Toronto, Ontario, with the WW2 sequence done in the heart of Slovakia. GRADE: B

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