Sinners and Saints

Maybe because I had never heard anything about this film I had very low expectations. I read a bunch of positive online reviews which seemed odd because I have never seen one advertisement. I wasn't familiar with lead Johnny Strong and the rest of the cast is a motley crew of character actors, outside of maybe Tom Berenger and Sean Patrick Flanery. I was pleasantly shocked that I found myself hooked from the opening battle-royal right through the end.

I have never heard of this guy before but this director blew me away. Like Michael Mann on a shoe-string budget he has talent that shines beyond his limited means. He pulled no punches, no cgi and all the gun battles, explosions and fights were refreshingly very realistic. This had the feel of a throw back action film.

The story is simple and not too special. Two cops team up to solve a series of killings in New Orleans. Turns out one of the cops childhood friends is involved in a military coverup and things begin to tumble out of control. Solid film but not for the faint of heart. Some intense violence. Strong performances across the board with great turns from home grown favorites Costas and Louis Mandylor as a baddies. Cool Method Man, classy Jurgen Prochnow, Jolene Blalock (not seen enough ;)Kevin Phillips, the great Kim Coates and Bas Rutten make this grand buffet of watchable and interesting characters seldom seen in typical low budget fare. Johnny Strong channels a young Clint Eastwood and helps move this into cult dvd classic range. Definitely worth checking out if you like this genre!

So, I heard about it and heard about it, watched the youtube trailer repeatedly and often, and I finally got around to locating a film festival and going to see this bad boy (not an easy feat). I was literally blown away by shades of Mann, though comparison wise I think Kaufman goes easier on the dialogue making it a bit more gritty.

This also isn't the first Kaufman entry I've witnessed, his film, 'The Prodigy' was on Netflix and one insomnia stricken night I felt the need for some low budget schlock. Well, low budget yes, schlock not so much. This is a guy who understands gunplay, as soldier I appreciate it when someone in Hollyweird gets it right. No one flying through the wall from a shotgun blast, no magical 9x19 parabellum that propels folks into outerspace like a rocketship from hell. Really, I don't want to gush too much about just the realistic treatment the weapons and tactics get in the film, yet it really stands out from your average Popcorn action nightmare. I won't spoil too much but the gunfight that occurs about midway through the film between Strong and Phillip's characters and the contractors is brutal, violent, and intentionally unstylized.

The story is simple, the bad guys obviously bad. A PMC (private military company), two cops, soom footage that the contractors are desperate to keep under wraps, with characters far beyond the scope of your typical low dollar film. Johnny Strong was a real treat and I bought him and his portrayal of the character in question and I appreciated his taste in sidearms. Literally the character is a gunfighter set in the modern world when he belongs in the old west with a sixgun and a badge. Kim Coates dies too soon but chews up the little bit of screentime he gets, Costas Mandylor plays the villian with grim aplomb, Tom Berrenger is the seasoned father figure, Kevin Phillips portrays the likable young partner but he does it without suffering from some genre cliches that irk me. Matter of fact the usual "I hate you, you are mine enemy" young new partner assigned to work with a grizzled older partner crapola doesn't even happen and it's refreshing to see.

Hopefully Kaufman keeps up the good work and makes some more films of this caliber. Johnny Strong? Well, I wouldn't yell if the duder was in a few more flicks, he hit all the right notes, pathos, aggression, a man literally born into the wrong era that just goes out and gets the job done. Can't wait to see the package from Amazon that I know will contain this film.

Okay, so this movie is way over the top and so there is more violence in five minutes in it than any cop sees in a lifetime of duty and so the movie's made New Orleans look like Bagdad in the heat of the war on a bad day and so the acting might not be the best in the world and so a lot of what happens is predictable, it's still an awfully good movie.

I can't help it, I loved this movie. Five minutes into it and I knew I was going to hate it, but six minutes into it and I was glued to the TV. This movie kept me intrigued and despite its predictability, there were some great surprises and wonderful one liners, especially this one, "What, you thought you were the most unscrupulous person on the block?" that line alone, the way it was delivered, would have made the movie for me.

Yes, this movie is way over the top, but it's a super excellent, mighty fine movie to watch anyway. Oh yes, did I forget to mention that it's an action packed, fun filled roller coaster ride as well?

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 75 reviews  3.6 out of 5 stars