The Saint (1997) User Reviews (221)

Am I the only one to like it?

[Rammstein-2 · 7/10 · 22 February 2000]

I liked this movie. Not as "The Saint" but as an elaborate action movie with a twist. Val Kilmer bears nothing in him that even gets close to Roger Moore's character - but if you look away from that and try to see it as an ordinary film, it's really good.

First of all, Val Kilmer performs fairly well, despite his weird accents. I really liked his artist type guy who seduces Emma Russell, he was great fun.

As for the story, well...I didn't bother to check for anomalies, I knew I'd find plenty. I only have two more things to say:

1. Elisabeth Shue is absolutely stunningly beautiful in this film.

2. The cool car that we only get to see a few seconds is a Volvo C70, a worthy replacement for the Volvo P1800 that Moore's Saint drove around in.

Charming yet sloppy

[derekschroeter · 6/10 · 10 March 2020]

I loved this film as a child. Val Kilmer is hamming it up as this odd character that uses the weirdest accents and wigs throughout the film. Re-watching this film, I've discovered that the South African can character he creates to seduce the female lead is... cringeworthy yet hilarious.

Also cracking me up is the son of the villain Tretiak. The pony tailed, cane wielding minion has this amazing sixth sense to make the most outlandish "leaps of observation" to find Kilmer. This greasy bloodhound blankly looks around and can in any situation immediately find where Kilmer has gone.

Oddly enough some scenes seem to also have been shot with a green screen during reshoots. Simple shots like two people speaking in a doorway are superimposed on a Moscow background. This only adds to the love I have for this weird and sloppy film that I continue to return to.

Simon Templar against Russian mobsters in a moving international intrigue

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 29 May 2010]

The movie deal with Ivan Tretiak ( Rade Serbedzja ) and his son ( Nikolayev ), Russian Mafia chiefs who want to create an oil crisis in Moscow and seize power as a result . They agree Simon Templar ( Val Kilmer ) , -master of disguises and great international criminal- , and send him to Oxford to steal a secret formula for cold fusion from U.S. scientist Emma Russell ( Elisabeth Shue ) who cooked up the recipe . That formula will give Tretiak a source of cheap energy and deal of money as result . But Templar falls in love with Emma and they attempt to outwit the two megalomaniacs and his hoodlums , hiding from them in Moscow . Meanwhile , Simon Templar is continuously changing identities and being relentlessly pursued by the police ( Alun Amstrung ). The Russian magnate with an eye on the presidency of the Russian Empire plans a coup détat.

This exciting picture is packed with frantic action, thrills, suspense, tension and an enjoyable love story . However , it contains a silly and dumb final set on the square of Moscu . The story bears little resemblance to the 60s British TV series on which it is based because of the complex argument is quite different . Brief acting by Emily Mortimer and uncredited Roger Moore as voice in car radio . Splendid musical score by Graeme Revell based on the catching leitmotif of the 60s series . The motion picture is regularly directed by Phillip Noyce . Rating : Average and overlong though entertaining.

This character based on Leslie Charteris' novel was formerly adapted for cinema with George Sanders and Louis Hayward and for TV in the classic series starred by Roger Moore and subsequently by Ian Ogilvy in the 70s and the 80s performed by Simon Dutton and produced by Robert S. Baker the same producer of the recent rendition.

A guilty pleasure

[Crewgrrl20 · 20 March 2004]

I love this movie. As a movie buff, I must admit, objectively, this is a bad movie. The writing is ridiculous, the plot is convoluted, and Val Kilmer's accents are bizarre. But I love this movie. It is that wonderful combination of danger and romance that makes for great fantasy. The chemistry between Kilmer and Shue holds this movie together. It is a delight to watch them realize that their skin deep attraction goes much deeper. If you can suspend your disbelief and just enjoy the ride, the Saint is a fun movie. Despite its flaws, the Saint is a guilty pleasure to indulge in when your own life is lacking in explosions, gun fights, and sudden, passionate romances.

So what's so bad about The Saint?

[The_Movie_Cat · 6/10 · 20 March 2000]

I saw this movie expecting a remake turkey of Avengeresque proportions, yet what I found was an adequately enjoyable action-espionage romp that held my attention for the whole of its duration.

To be honest, I know nothing about The Saint. All I know is that it starred Roger Moore (an actor who, like Kilmer, is unlikely to be troubled by the Academy) and had a vaguely-memorable theme tune. Then it came back with Ian Ogilvy, who was less popular, but had a cracking theme under the name of "Return of the Saint". Oh, and he wears a little stick-figure "Saint" icon, which is oddly effeminate with it's one hand on hip, the other tilted. A bit of a fey emblem for one so suave.

Other than that, I came to this film afresh. I'm not normally Val's biggest fan (feeling he virtually slid off the screen in apathy during Batman Forever) and only tuned in to see a real lousy movie, an enjoyable pastime on occasion. However, while Val may be a charisma-free zone on a par with Keanu, I think in The Saint he does seem to be enjoying himself a lot more. In fact, in a more personable actor, this film could have easily become a one-liner spouting, smug action film. With the more... er... dormant, shall we say?... performance of Kilmer, it has a less abrasive edge.

The plot, acting and dialogue probably won't stand up to close inspection, but then this isn't the sort of film you're going to watch more than once. It's passable entertainment, where Kilmer adopts a variety of ludicrous disguises and even more ludicrous accents to foil some Russians in a cold fusion war.

Val's characterisation is interesting, as is the role itself. I mean, what is The Saint, other than a glorified thief? Only British tv could come up with such an anti-hero; a leading man who basically... nicks things. Even towards the end, when a more philanthropic nature is revealed, this is still a man with $50 million in the bank, and yet no-one yells "you dirty crook" and all the women want to bed him.

I liked the fact that a lot of it was set in England, something you don't often get in Hollywood films. Best bit in this country had to be the English police tackling an armed man. "Stop, sir, hold it right there" says the unarmed policewoman. A nice culture clash.

I'm not trying to justify this as a classic, and neither is it rocket science. (Well, actually, having said that, rocket science IS one of its plot elements...) All I'm saying is that this picture was an enjoyable, passable way to spend an hour and fifty minutes, a nice piece of escapist fluff that harms no one.

An 'MI' Type Story & Pretty Good, Too

[ccthemovieman-1 · 7/10 · 20 July 2006]

This reminded me a lot of "Mission Impossible," which had been a hit movie the year before this film was released. It, too, had a complex plot and a lot of foreign intrigue and accents. I don't think it's as good as MI, but it's not bad and definitely deserves a look, or two or three!

I can tell you one thing: it's not as bad as you might have read from national critics. It has some good suspense and action scenes and there is nothing wrong with Val Kilmer and Elisabeth Shue as the leading actors.

True, it wasn't as smooth or even believable as MI but it's still entertaining and worthwhile watching strictly for the adventure. The Russian villains are fascinating to watch. The story is the typical democracy-threatened-by-an evil- politician except this time with a Russian scenario.

The Saint, a second time...

[buzznzipp1995 · 6/10 · 24 January 2007]

From the director Phillip Noyce, "The Bone Collector" (1999) "Patriot Games" (1992) "Clear and Present Danger" (1994) and "Blind Fury" (1989) comes what I feel is another best performance from Val Kilmer. Simon Templar, 'The Saint', only this time it's take two, the first being Roger Moore, that was a well made series for television in the sixties. Val comes to update the times, in this epic movie. Cloak and Dagger, espionage thriller is what this story is, with Elisabeth Shue as an essential love-interest character for Kilmer's Templar. They look good together, but Simon can't really afford to surrender his heart. Or can he?

I have respect for an actor that can play one role well, but then when it comes to multiple roles, Val takes on six various characters, all in disguise of course, but put together with style wit and wisdom from his training. Afterall, this is his business. This is a fun and enthusiastic spy story, with some tight situations, and some close-scrapes, it is a two hour action/love story that is a real pleaser for those who like action, adventure and or love stories.

I recommend this heart-felt top-notch spy story for any and all that love a great adventure. (****)

Avoid at all costs.

[DrMonster · 1/10 · 29 March 2005]

This movie was an unbelievable mess. It made little sense until the end and by then I didn't care. I like Val Kilmer but in this movie it seemed he was definitely just picking up a check. Elisabeth Shue was equally bad. The plot was ridiculous and the characters were very flat. And the police? They hadn't figured out the guy they are chasing always uses saints' names? Worst of all I did not like the way the Saint was portrayed - he is supposed to be a problem solver, a sort of Robin Hood looking for people to help. In this movie he was a thief who did the "right" thing only after he fell in love with the girl. And what was the nonsense at the beginning? Was this supposed to help us understand his character? It didn't. Avoid at all costs, especially if you like the Roger Moore series.

Val Kilmer's performance is incredible

[Lotts · 10/10 · 16 October 2004]

I thoroughly enjoyed this film and not just because of Val Kilmer's accomplishment at successfully being eye-candy, but also because of the amazing personality transformations his character goes through in front of the mirror. The story line itself is pretty impressive and I loved that although it keeps you guessing, you don't end up wondering, "What the hell is going on?' The science side is played down enough for the audience to know it's there but not to get distracted by its details. I don't know if the theory actually works, but after watching the film I don't really care - that isn't the point of the movie.

The thing that surprised me the most though was the leading female scientist, played by Elisabeth Shue. It's obvious from the start that she's going to be the 'love interest' but her characters personality always puts a question to the question, will they actually end up together. She's shy and nervous of people, but is incredibly open, honest and warmly lovable - an almost perfect contrast to Kilmer's über-suave, identity-confused, international thief-for-hire/spy. But that's the very thing that makes them ideal for each other, they might just be able to help each other with their character flaws and so you root for them both on a rather grand scale.

I was vaguely baffled by the inclusion of random, suffering Russian civilians towards the latter half of the film, but considering that they were a film device to make the baddie look bad, the goodie look good and the 'common people trapped in the middle' look down right fantastic, they do their job rather well (apart from one woman who rats out our hero). All in all, they makes sure the audience are still caring if the common people are helped by the good guy, and hoping that the bad guy will eventually get his comeuppance.

However, back to my original point. I still think that the film's main achievement is putting Val Kilmer in an interesting role that shows off just how good he can be; he's observant, yet unobservable; seductive, yet not a cad; confident but riddled with insecurities. Moreover, in the early stages of the film, British students are no longer misrepresented as drunken, whoring lay-abouts, but as attentive learners who actually show up for lectures. Impressive stuff.

Yours Sincerely, A Proud British Student.

Decent film

[danjsr · 7/10 · 1 July 2000]

A decent film. It was well paced and entertaining. Val Kilmer does a wonderful job in the leading role. By far his best performance that I have seen. One way that I judge a movie is how many times do I check the clock. Only once on this film.

James Bond with ugly disguises

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 15 December 2013]

Val Kilmer plays a mysterious thief who has great skills including as a master of disguise. Ivan Tretiak hires him to steal the formula for cold fusion from American scientist Emma Russel (Elisabeth Shue).

This is sort of like a Bond movie if James Bond put on ugly disguises in silly voices and steals for himself. The disguises look too silly. It diminishes the attempt to be cool and relevant. Instead of silly disguises, it should really concentrate on the spy tradecrafts. Val Kilmer does an internal dialog which could be better used to highlight his skills. The other problem is that there are too much Russian in this. I don't understand why Russia would have a heating oil crisis. It tries to be exotic, but ends up as unsatisfying.

There is also the minor problem of Elisabeth Shue. She's supposed to be this weird loner scientist, and she doesn't have that persona. And she plays it as a love sick puppy to one of Val Kilmer's fake character. She is the all American girl next door, and they need a quirky scientist type. And the point is to get somebody else to replicate her results which means she's supposed to write out the experiment for them to try. It's a stupid idea that she would write out the formula and stuff it in her bra. I want to like this for Elisabeth Shue, but this is too silly.

Why did they make this a Saint movie?

[MartynGryphon · 8/10 · 6 May 2012]

I'm a massive fan of all things Saintly. I have read all the Saint books, I own and have seen all the old RKO Saint movies from the 30's, 40's and 50's with Louis Hayward, George Sanders and Hugh Sinclair and own all the TV episodes from the 60's & 70's with Roger Moore & Ian Ogilvy. Only a few Saint items elude me. The very hard to find Simon Dutton Saint adventures from the late 80's, the Andrew Clarke one off TV Movie from 1987, the old radio shows from he 40's and 50's and the forgettable French movies of the 60's.

Because of this, I was very wary about the Val Kilmer movie featuring the halo'd character of Simon Templar despite having Saint legend Robert S. Baker as executive producer. My fears were not without foundation.

The character of Simon Templar as originally written by creator Leslie Charteris is an English Gentleman adventurer thief, he is known by reputation as a criminal with morals. He despises injustice, never preys on the innocent and only steals from people he refers to as the ungodly who have made their ill gotten gains by riding rough shod over anyone and everything. In this movie we have an American Templar (1st mistake), who commits high tech robberies for extremely large sums on behalf of people who are morally bankrupt (2nd mistake). In fact Kilmer's portrayal of Simon Templar is as far removed from Charteris's creation and the character portrayed so well by Moore, Ogilvy and Sanders you cannot even recognise him as being the same person.

Having said that it was SO easy to forget that this was even a Saint movie. As far as I'm concerned it was just a wonderful exciting movie about an American cyber criminal on the run from the Russian Mafia who falls in love with an American physicist. The action is gripping the plot engaging and the acting superb, apart from a few VERY sickly scenes between Kilmer and Shue. I'm all for romance between characters but......

I did enjoy it but apart from the title it is in no way, shape or form, a Saint Movie. That was the producers 3rd and biggest mistake. By calling it a Saint movie, they were already on the back foot as expectations were no doubt going to be high especially from die hard Saint fans like myself. Making the Saint an American is a BIG no no. having the Saint happily work for criminals is another.

If they had removed all reference to The Saint character from the story, I could be easily reviewing one of the best movies of the '90's. Kilmer's Character was more akin to Ethan Hunt than anything you would ever find in a Charteris book. However, Elizabeth Shue is GORGEOUS and I really did enjoy this movie very much for what it was. If you can forget it's a supposed to be a Saint movie then I'm sure you will too.

Enjoy!!!

Good, but bad...

[Pookyiscute · 6/10 · 3 December 2005]

Okay, so you know those movies where you can tell someone worked really hard on perfecting the entire thing, and then they go and screw it up, with either sound or music or titles? This is one of those movies. Someone did a lot of research on the whole script, writing it I mean. But, then what do the director and editing assistants do? They muck the whole thing up by putting cheesy titles, and information on the screen that no one wants to see. Extra information, but more than that just cheesy stuff that you would see in a bad 'B' movie.

Val Kilmer was a great choice for the role that he played. It just shows how good a character actor he can actually be and still play the handsome love-interest.

But, I was most impressed with Elisabeth Shue's performance. She really holds her own in this piece. Granted, I am a big Shue fan, but I would have to say that this is one of her better roles. I think even better than 'Leaving Las Vegas' which is a much different film, I know, but still, she has a very powerful way in this film of delivering her character's nervousness, and naivitivity.

The directing was minimal at best and I frankly didn't think that the "bad guys" were all that "bad". I think even as a lighter drama, this could have been such a better movie than it turned out.

However, it is quite entertaining and one of the only films I actually like Val Kilmer in. And if you are into the more light dramas...this is just intense enough for a thirteen year old.

Quite possibly the worst movie I've ever seen

[Q-Tip-2 · 1/10 · 17 August 1999]

Honest to god, this movie was probably the worst I've ever seen. One ridiculous scene after another. An incredible disappointment. Not only does Elizabeth Shue figure out cold fusion in like twenty minutes (something that has puzzled scientists for the better half of a century), but that's the basis for the movie. Right away it has no chance. And then the scene where Kilmer jumps in the freezing river, and the ensuing "warming-up" by Shue, is so ludicrous its comical. My favorite is the end though. When she's running to the embassy, and yells "Open up, I'm an American!" and they happily obey. Mind numbing stupidity.

Accomplished espionage thriller.

[barnabyrudge · 14 May 2003]

The Saint has been criticised vociferously since its release in 1997. In some reviews, it has even been likened to The Avengers as one of the most misguided movies of all-time. However, I genuinely cannot see why this film has aroused so much dismay among the cinema going public. As far as I'm concerned, this is an accomplished, rousing and satisfyingly complex espionage thriller.

The plot finds a master of disguise/super-thief, Simon Templar (Kilmer), being hired to track down and steal a brilliant energy-saving formula. The formula was invented by a female science student at Oxford University (Shue), and when Templar eventually closes in on her, he finds himself falling in love with her. Oh yes, then there's the small problem of the swarm of Russian agents who also want the formula....

Kilmer is OK as Templar, but the character was better portrayed in previous incarnations by Ian Ogilvy and Roger Moore. Shue, as the science whiz, actually manages to just about get away with the fact that she is essentially miscast. The action scenes in the film are well done, but this is no surprise since the director Phillip Noyce is a dab hand at this kind of thing thanks to his work on a couple of the Jack Ryan movies, not to mention the unbearably taut Dead Calm.

If you've never seen The Saint, I would encourage you to do so. If you've intentionally avoided the film because of the negative reviews you may have read, ignore them! This is huge fun!

Takes me back to the 90s

[bayardhiler · 7/10 · 9 February 2012]

A lot of great action films came out in the 90s, this being one of them. The Saint is film about a master thief who disguises everything about his appearance, thus always staying one step ahead of the police. But when he is asked to steal scientific secrets from a beautiful researcher, he falls in love and for the first time becomes vulnerable. Val Kilmer does an amazing job with the part, with his many accents, Elizabeth Shue is absolutely beautiful, and Rade Serbedzija is fantastic as the villain. All of this plus a great soundtrack that could only come out of the 90s(especially the song "6 underground" by Sneaker Pimps) make this a fun movie. Don't miss it.

More than serviceable action film

[perfectbond · 7/10 · 9 March 2003]

The Saint is a better than average action film. I say this despite the less than than impressive action scenes, the dearth of any original villains, and the cliched plot. What saves this film is the chemistry in the interaction between its stars Val Kilmer and Elisabeth Shue. Unlike in James Bond or Batman films, Kilmer plays the hero realistically and Shue is more than a damsel in distress. Its too bad that in recent years Kilmer hasn't been getting the plum roles in Hollywood and roles that might've gone to Shue are going to Nicole Kidman and Gwenyth Paltrow. Thank goodness for Kilmer he decided to make this film instead of continuing as Batman in the horrible Batman & Robin which came out the same year as The Saint. Just imagine how low his career would've sunk then? The Saint will keep you entertained for an hour and a half, 7/10.

Cliché upon cliché

[vercavykuk · 6/10 · 27 August 2014]

I think that if there was a hitparade of clichés this movie would hit most of them.

Story of tragic children love, which leads to the main character being a human chameleon, who picks his names after Catholic saints until he's tasked with stealing formulas from lonely romantic scientists, only to fall in love with her and risking everything just to save her from the terrible villains (who, according to number of other clichés, are Russian). Of course, she searches for him, and once again, the star-crossed lovers are running for their lives. Of course the whole movie ends well - the thief escapes the clutches of Justice, and poof, happy ending.

Giving the rating I did mostly because I like clichés and because I liked how villainy the villains were. Oh, and for Frankie. I really liked her character.

A Hole a Minute

[hotdunk · 1/10 · 31 July 2006]

It was painful to watch. I could list all the holes, but it would waste yet more of my time than the film did and you might not read this warning if I had to tick the 'Contains Spoiler' box.

It is like watching a Bond movie directed by a first time director. Someone should tell the writer a bit more about Simon Templar. Aside from the small factor of being a poor actor, Val Kilmer is the antithesis of suave. I mention Bond because there is too much Bond-styled action in this. You get the feeling that the people making the film wish they'd got a Bond movie to direct, so they tried to emulate one. The end result meaning that they slaughtered the memory of The Saint in the process. They are very different characters.

It gets one point for Elisabeth Shue looking as lovely as ever. It doesn't get more than that because it falls down through its near infinite number of holes too much to drag itself up to two points.

As Far As I Know, Val Kilmer's Best Role Ever

[gavin6942 · 8/10 · 25 September 2006]

I've always thought of Val Kilmer as a secondary actor. Iceman in "Top Gun" and playing a second-rate Batman compared to Michael Keaton. But I was proved wrong in "The Saint", which pushes acting to the limit with Kilmer playing a variety of characters very well, and also having romantic and action scenes.

"The Saint" features Simon Templar, aka The Human Fly (Kilmer), who travels the world in disguise to steal and sell whatever he can for the highest price. Things become more complicated when he must steal from a beautiful physicist (Elisabeth Shue).

I thought Shue was especially flaky, as was her character. How a beautiful woman who knows cold fusion does not get a date is beyond me. Also, how a world-famous physicist can dress and act like a high school cheerleader is also a bit odd. But I guess it's possible. On a related note, this is Shue's most beautiful appearance. I cannot even recognize her as the girl next door of "Adventures in Babysitting" or "The Karate Kid".

I'm also not sure if the best way to cure hypothermia is to take off all your clothes, because that is not what I learned in Boy Scouts. But I'm not a physicist.

Otherwise, great film. The costume and makeup department deserved an Oscar. If they didn't get one, I scream foul because I have never seen more convincing makeup and hair extensions in a film before. Kilmer was able to play roughly six characters that were all lifelike and quite distinguishable.

The fights were great, especially when Kilmer donned his ninja gear and fought the Russian mafia. Breathtaking. And what a great choice to play the Russian villain. Charismatic, strong actor and powerfully menacing.

This almost makes me want to see the original TV series, though I think I'd be disappointed. This film is a must-see for all people, action fans or not. The romance and comedy easily rival the action.

Leslie Charteris Would Probably Like This Movie

[JohnHowardReid · 6/10 · 28 July 2012]

Yes, Leslie Charteris would probably like this movie -- but not me. The way I see The Saint is much the way George Sanders and Louis Hayward interpreted him. A debonair scourge of spies and criminals, The Saint steps in where the official police are afraid to tread or unable to investigate. Now there is nothing debonair about Val Kilmer. Nothing particularly likable either -- except for the fact that he bests the villains and can run fast. I don't blame the heroine for being confused, for The Saint himself -- as presented here -- is a confusing character. The script even takes time out to let us know WHY he is confused. It all happened in his childhood, see, when he was a victimized Oliver Twist in an orphanage -- but not just an ordinary orphanage. As I pointed out in other reviews, many modern movies are determined to throw off the shackles of the past and come out fighting mad. In this case, it's the Catholic Church that gets a firm drubbing with a sadistic priest presented as a fiend from hell. These childhood episodes really have little to do with the main action but are presented mainly for their shock value. The film, which is a mite too long at 112 minutes away, would be better off without them. Introduce Kilmer right from the start and you would have a more compact, less talkative and far more suspenseful movie.

What a load of rubbish !

[rjpurves · 1/10 · 22 December 1999]

There's a popular football (soccer) chant that applies very well to this film. What a load of rubbish!

Bad script. Bad acting. Bad plot. Bad direction. Add them up and you get ... well rubbish.

Why does Elisabeth Shue's character sound permanently out of breath? And why is she so wooden? An actress of her talent has put in an amazingly amateurism performance.

Val Kilmer as the Saint? Nope, just can't see it. The Saint was supposed to be a snappily dressed, slightly roguish character. Val is none of this. Possibly not entirely his fault.

Oh, and there is far far too much explanation of the background of The Saint. This is intolerable, and ruins what made the TV series so good. Roger Moore's method of acting may be just to raise and lower his eyebrows but he did a better job than anyone in this film.

Two and a half hours out of my life. Wasted.

The Saint walks Among Us

[thinker1691 · 9/10 · 5 January 2007]

Back in the sixties Roger Moore don the persona of Simon Templar, known to his fans as The Saint. From the small tube to the Silver Screen, our hero has arisen to a modern audience. With the superb talents of Val Kilmer, the saint is out to accomplish two goals. First he attempts to secure his life-long ambition of amassing $1 billion dollars, and second to perform three miracles. In the process, he encounters both friends and life threatening villains. In this episode, the Saint attempts to save the crumbling Soviet Empire' energy supply, by revamping the scientific and long sought-after formula of Cold Fusion. In this story, he helps brainy, Dr. Lev Botvin, (Henry Goodman) perfect the celebrated formula of Physist Emma Russell, (Elisabeth Shue). The re-energized formula will replenish Russia's dwindling energy and save the Premiere of Russia from the anti-government villains played adroitly by (Rade Serbedzija), Ivan Tretiak, (Valeri Nikolayev) and Vereshagin (Michael Byrne), the archenemies of Templar. Alun Armstrong is believable as Inspector Teal. The film is fast paced and action oriented with plenty of drama, guns, explosions and international intrigue. Kilmer is fantastic and I believe this will become a classic among all the great films of his career. ****

Predictable thriller uses post-glasnost Russian setting well.

[dave13-1 · 6/10 · 1 May 2012]

This movie might actually be more interesting viewed now as a 90s period piece than when it first came out in the real 90s. Since most of the movie takes place in post-glasnost Moscow, albeit with icy Canada often standing in for wintry Mother Russia, the viewer gets a nice sketch of the effects of the end of the cold war on the people and economy of the former Soviet Union.

As an industrial espionage thriller, The Saint is fairly predictable, but Val Kilmer has fun with his character's master-of-disguise shtick playing several neat cameos within the film that re-defined gentleman adventurer Simon Templar for the 90s. Shue makes a credible appearance as a sheltered academic everywoman dragged into intrigue beyond her previous experience.

As an added treat, this movie also features the 90s-topical idea of cold fusion, now long since de-bunked.

Dumbed Down, Romanced Up Saint.

[Space_Mafune · 5/10 · 18 January 2007]

International super thief for hire Simon Templar (Val Kilmer) is in for a challenge of conscience when he's hired by leading Russian business mafia figurehead/oil magnate Ivan Tretiak (Rade Serbedzija), who has designs on becoming the Russian president, to steal the secrets of cold fusion from a brilliant young scientist named Dr. Emma Russell (Elisabeth Shue), something which will ensure Tretiak his reign of power in Russia. Even more indomitable for Simon, he finds himself falling for the woman he's been hired to hoodwink.

What this is, in essence, is a dumbed down, romanced-up prequel to the Saint in that it features Simon Templar before he became an heroic character. That said, this character as portrayed by Kilmer bears very little resemblance to Leslie Charteris's Saint. And if you're expecting similarity to the Roger Moore version of the Saint, you'll be even more disappointed. Kilmer was miscast here no doubt about it. The Saint is supposed to be a charming rogue whereas Kilmer's version is basically a romantic master of disguise who's running from himself. The charm sadly is missing. Kilmer is completely unconvincing as a womanizer and not once did I believe he ever really had the upper hand in his relationship with Dr. Emma Russell which certainly doesn't fit the classic character. Still in terms of romance, this delivers the goods and then some. Only problem is "The Saint" isn't supposed to be a romance movie. Still anyone who likes watching attractive people, certainly hard to beat the leads here, fall in love may very well find plenty to enjoy here.