THE SAINT
A film review by David Landers
Copyright 1997 David Landers
RATING: *** out of **** - 7.5 out of 10.0 CAST: Val Kilmer (Simon Templar), Elisabeth Shue (Emma Russell), Rade Serbedzija (Ivan Tretiak), Irina Apeximova (Frankie), Valeri Nikolayev (Ilya), Lucija Serbedzija (Sofiya) CERTIFICATION: PG-13 (USA) for violence, language, some sensuality, and brief drug use
THE SAINT was actually a little better than I expected it to be, in some ways. In this theatrical remake of the television series THE SAINT, and its series sequel THE RETURN OF THE SAINT, Val Kilmer plays Simon Templar, an elusive thief who makes a living by stealing things from others for others. This movie closely resembles a James Bond flick. It has the classic Bond symbols: a man who can do just about anything and get away with it, a woman whom the man persues, a villain out to achieve something for himself who kills anyone to reach this goal. Kilmer actually provides a rather good role in this movie, although at times you are left to ponder how he actually gets out of the many tight situations.
The movie begins in his childhood in a strict school run by Catholic priests. As a young boy, Kilmer's character enjoyed magic and would often journey away from his schoolwork. That is until his school teacher finds him reading a book and demands that the young boy proclaim his name, that of a Catholic saint. He refuses to do so and instead announces who he wishes to be. This leads to a devestating mistake, which is something that will stay in his mind throughout his life.
Kilmer's first mission that we are shown is to steal a microchip from Ivan Tretiak, played by Rade Serbedzija. During a press conference, he must make his way into a heavily guarded vault area, avoiding guards, cameras, and many other potential obstacles. Once his mission is completed and he is safely home, the fee is paid. When he logs into his bank account and finds that he is only a few million dollars short of $50 million, he decides to carry out only one more mission, then retire.
Dr. Emma Russell, portrayed by Elisabeth Shue, has discovered a way to produce energy by way of cold fusion. This new advancement would change the world and save thousands of lives in the areas of Russia, where millions are without heat and are freezing to death. The only problem is, Tretiak would like to have this for himself and use it to gain power amongst the people. This presents the option for Kilmer to achieve his goal. Tretiak hires him to steal the equations, small pieces of paper, from Shue.
One of the enjoyable features in the film is the disguises that Kilmer dawns to complete his missions. They are very convincing, not only to the characters in the movie, but to us. Kilmer utilizes one such disguise to lure Shue's character into getting to know him even more, which would provide him a means of stealing the energy formula. When the two meet, and end up having a sensual experience, Kilmer's character is seemingly falling in love with Emma Russell, as she is falling in love with Kilmer's alter-ego, a traveling artist. Yet, he must reach his goal of $50 million, which requires him to steal the energy formula, putting his feelings aside.
Shue's character is eventually able to track down Simon Templar by putting the pieces (the names of the Catholic saints) together, something no one else is able to do. When she finds him, they are left to team up and reclaim the energy formulas from Tretiak.
THE SAINT is very action-packed, with few slow points. The sound was very well done and added to the many intense moments. Along the course of the movie, there are even a few, although brief moments of comedy. These moments are almost always thanks to Kilmer's extraneous, very convincing disguises and personalities. All in all, a rather enjoyable movie with nearly non-stop action.
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