Customer Reviews

The Saint (Widescreen) (1997)

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

This a great action flick starring a well cast Val Kilmer and a very well cast Elizabeth Shue! A lot of this recalls a good James Bond movie. Val Kilmer playes Simon Templar, a spy who has several different identities. His newest mission is to get the recipe for "Cold Fusion", energy, precisely. Along the way he meets
the gorgeous Elizabeth Shue, a scientist who has invented the recipe. I'll say no more so as not to give away important plot points but I end by saying that this is a very well done action flick that recalls parts of the recently released, and better, The Bourne Identity. Nevertheless, I recommend this.

I liked this movie much more than I expected. It is full of action and twists and turns, with good villians and desirable actors. I must be the only person to think that Elizabeth Shue, playing a ditzy blonde nuclear scientist, succesfully acts a very bright person in the new situation of being in love and being shot at. I gradually got to like Val Kilmer who seems arrogant at first. Most movies don't make me look up from my computer; this one made me SIT DOWN and watch it!! True, Val is not much like the Saint - but I never got into that character; didn't like the books and hated Roger Moore anyway. The chief gunslinger in this is max fun. Oh, and did I mention Elizabeth Shue?

When I first saw this at the movie theater I thought it was a good movie but forgot about it. It wasn't until I rented the video that I fully appreciated it. I've seen it countless times. Gadgets, marvellous disguises, good actors and actresses, humor and a fascinating and impressive performance by Val Kilmer. You would have to watch a few dozen of Roger Moore's SAINT videos to be equally as impressed or at least to see as much. They pack a great deal into this movie.

I have never seen one of Val Kilmer's movie's before.But I sure have since then.He is an excellent actor and there seemed to be real chemistry between him and Elizabeth Shue.So far I have watched it 8 times and plan on watching it many more.The action keeps you on your toes wondering what will come next,and the romance is really sweet.

While "The Saint" isn't precisely an epic film that everyone should see, but it's really fun and keeps my attention and interest each time I watch it. Val Kilmer displays his innate gift for accents and for a chameleon-like ability to change his personality traits. Elisabeth Shue, of whom I've never been fond, is also enjoyable in her role, largely due to her brimming and infectious enthusiasm for her work. This isn't a Must-See Movie, but it's sure to be enjoyable for anyone who likes action movies.

I think we're mostly familiar with the story of this movie, but I'll recap briefly: A thief is sent to steal a scientific formula from a nerdy-but-gorgeous physicist, but he falls in love with her. He deceives her, she tracks him down, there's a lot of chases, and oh yeah, there's a revolution going on around them. The fun part: The thief is noble at heart, a master of quick-changes and impersonations, and always picks for his personae the names of Catholic saints (a rather telling calling-card, if you ask me, but the movie asks us to "forget" that any criminal profiler would catch that within 30 seconds).

It's a romp of a movie. There's definite chemistry between Val Kilmer and Elisabeth Shue, the leads, and it's delightful to see Kilmer's various personae, how different they all really are. The movie drags a bit in the middle (and honestly, the entire beginning sequence could have been left out safely), but it picks up again. There are some fascinating characters in here, most particularly the greedy "art dealer" Frankie, who steals every scene she's in. Unfortunately, the bad guys aren't among the fascinating -- both are two-dimensional and stereotypical. But there's plenty to compensate for the movie's shortcomings. A chase scene involving Shue trying to reach the American embassy is among my favorites in movie history. The sets are very cool. The acting is fairly solid, bad guys aside. There's a lot of eye candy here, and not all of it is Val Kilmer in leather pants posing as a South African artist.

The DVD version doesn't include a ton of goodies (a commentary and the trailer), but the picture and sound quality are excellent. Well worth the money.

Although both Val Kilmer and Elisabeth Shue have both had their share of poor films, this is not one of them. A somewhat intelligent plot and some above average acting make this one of those rare films that's actually worth watching. The plot is too easy to give away, and I don't want to be one of those people who wrecks the ending, so I'll just say one more thing. Give it a try, you probably won't be disappointed.

After seeing The Saint on television with Roger Moore, I became extremely addicted to the show and loved it very much. Practically James Bond without the gadgets. A couple of weeks ago I finally watched The Saint with Val Kilmer. The reason I wasnt too crazy about the movie was the fact that Kilmer's character resembled nothing of the Roger Moore character. Roger Moore was debanoir, suave and knew what he was doing. Kilmer was sometimes not believable and was also in different disguises. The Roger Moore character was never in disguise and to the best of my knowledge, the George Sanders character was not also. However, I give the movie credit for establishing a plot that gets a little outrageous. Fair movie, but watch the Roger Moore show if you like the Simon Templar character.

Having never seen the original Saint series with Roger Moore or other depictions of the character, I cannot comment on how closely Val Kilmer's portrayal of the Saint is to the original. But as a stand-alone spy movie, the Saint is excellent. Kilmer has a very different look as a spy and Simon Templar's character throughout the movie is very interesting. He is cold at times and yet unbelievably warm. Throw the very attractive and sensitive Elizabeth Shue into the mix and you have a great romance brewing. But actors interact wonderfully together as the story moves along.

The plot's focus on scandal involving corrupt Russian tycoons is a great look at a possibly near-future situation and the current instability that already affects Eastern Europe. With some comidy, action, and suspense thrown in, the viewers are left with a very satisfying and enjoyable movie.

This movie is one of my personal favorites, a lot due to Kilmer and Shue's characters, and also due to the plot twists and turns. The Saint has the right amounts of every ingredient to make it a winner.

After a hard day at work, when reading a book or plowing through a heavy movie seems like too much work, I recommend this movie to you. It has romance, clever humour, a good plot (fantasy that it is) and well-defined characters. There is no harsh violence, bad language or torrid sex scenes. The Saint and Dr Emma Russel's love was so powerful - it was very moving. But make no mistake - this is no soppy love romance movie. The action and humour kept it moving at a fast pace.

I doubt if it was intended to be an exact remake of the original and it may disappoint those who expect it to be such. But for the rest of you, sit back and enjoy!!