Movie Review - The Saint

The Saint

2017

The Cast

I have to admit that I enjoyed this take on Simon Templar.  I do agree with other reviewers that the TV series and the films haven't really got The Saint's personality and morality perfect.  This is a hard thing to do as each medium has limitations, but this is pretty close - and was probably meant to reflect Roger Moore's TV character rather than Leslie Charteris' original, and it comes near.  It's even nice that the better previous Templar's appear in the film.

What the writers, Jesse Alexander and Tony Giglio, also had to contend with was bringing the character up-to-date.  So enter a tech-savvy partner, Patricia Holm (Eliza Dushku), who can actually hold her own in a fight.  For me this is a good idea as it gives Templar somebody to work off and flirt with, lessening the sexist machismo, which you could get away with in the '60's.  The writers also totally blanked out the grey area of murder as an option by turning The Saint into a martial arts expert who loves his sleeper hold and knockout punches - if this had been made for English telly or by HBO or Fox then the murderous side of The Saint may have made it into the story.  Even when the helicopter crashes and explodes the bad guy walks away... however, there's a reason for this which is shown in a later scene.

Also, nowadays, people like conspiracies and more tangled webs of mystery... and this story has that.  Not only do we have Interpol and the FBI after The Saint there's also The Brotherhood - a shadowy alliance that was formed to destroy The Knights Templar.  Thought to be extinct, we learn that the Knights are still around and Simon's father was a member.  This and The Saint's latest case of a missing two and a half billion dollars are slowly revealed to be interwoven, though we are shown this pretty early on.

So there's a lot of story for your money in this little film and the director, Barbarash, does a great job of tying it all together with action, wit, and good acting.  I wasn't looking forward to watching this as I remembered the Val Kilmer tragedy (though a great theme track).  However, I was happy to be wrong.  This is an enjoyable and watchable film and I'd recommend this to all Saint fans.  It's different from the original - but it has to be - but it's not all bad... in fact, it's mostly good.

I give this rendition a saintly 7.25 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - Vendetta For The Saint

Vendetta For The Saint

1969

The Cast

There's something about The Saint that I didn't like as a kid.  It could have been the whole anti-hero thing or his slimy suaveness... though I'm not particularly sure what it was.  Now, after watching "Vendetta" I have the urge to watch the original series again, through older eyes.  Maybe there was something subtle that I just didn't get as a kid and therefore missed out on the entertainment and enjoyment of a pretty brilliant character.  Connery may be Bond but Moore is Templar.

In this story, we have Templar in Italy, for some nefarious reason no doubt, and while he's taking a rest he spots a near brawl between two supposed friends.  Euston (Mackay) spots a man he believes to be an old work colleague and walks over to say hello.  However, he is met with threats and not greetings.  Templar moves in when it looks like a fight is about to ensue.  Buying Euston a drink he is told the story of the two friends.  However, the man claims to be called Destamio (Hendry) and not his friend at all.  Something about this sticks in Templar's claw... and he becomes more intrigued when Euston is murdered.  With the Italian military and police not bothering with the killing Templar decides to investigate... and what he learns brings him head to head with the Mafia.

I have to admit that I like the character Simon Templar as he is a thief, with morals, and has a strong self-assurance and bravado.  This, along with his charm and good looks, definitely makes him a lady-killer.  These traits alone can make for good stories.  So when you add a good story with action, twists, and tension you surely have a winner - and you do.

This is back when actors would try to accent their voices accordingly.  And to be honest, Ian Hendry does a very good and more than passible New York Italian.  He is also a perfect hard guy as he protrudes an air of strength and menace, which is almost tangible.  In fact, all the actors and actresses do wonderful jobs in their portrayals making it more enjoyable to watch.

O'Connolly directs at a pretty steady pace, which works well with the script.  Though there's nothing new in the film, directorial-wise, this isn't a bad thing as what he does allows the actors and actresses to shine.  For example, the chase scene.  When Templar escapes he runs down a hillside.  Today this would probably be shot continuously with the cameraman running down the hill too, with all the camera shake that is all too evident today.  Whereas O'Connolly uses static camera's for the shots and pans to follow the action.  For me, this works better and adds to the movie.

If you like action thrillers with a good story, strong characters, well written, and nicely filmed then this flick could be right for you.  Either way, I would recommend this as an afternoon treat, especially on a Sunday after Dinner - while supping the vino.

I give this a saintly 7.25 out of 10.

The Trailer