The action thriller casts Sutherland as a priest waging war against Manhattan’s criminal underworld.
Summary
– Kiefer Sutherland plays a crime-fighting priest in the action thriller Father Joe
– Al Pacino and Ever Anderson join Sutherland in the Luc Besson-written film
– Father Joe premiered Out of Competition at the Venice Film Festival
Kiefer Sutherland takes on Manhattan’s criminal underworld in the first released clip from the action thriller Father Joe.
Sutherland plays Father Joe, a priest whose faith does not stop him from using violent methods against organized crime. His secret war places him on a collision course with a powerful mob boss.
The film also stars Al Pacino and Ever Anderson. Anderson plays a young woman caught between danger and redemption as Father Joe attempts to guide and protect her.
Barthélémy Grossmann directed Father Joe from a screenplay written by Luc Besson. The film screened in the Venice Open Out of Competition section at the 2026 Venice Film Festival.
Besson produced the movie through LBP alongside EuropaCorp and Sutherland. Kinology is handling international sales, while CAA Media Finance is also involved with sales.
Father Joe marks Grossmann’s latest collaboration with Besson following the filmmaker’s English-language thriller Disorder. The crime drama combines themes of faith and redemption with the style of a violent action thriller.
Pacino was unable to attend the film’s Venice press conference. He instead sent a video message from the United States offering his support to the cast and crew before the premiere.
The newly released footage offers an early look at Sutherland’s transformation into an unconventional priest willing to cross moral and spiritual boundaries to protect his community.
