The Saint

Rating:
Summary: Abstract and grim, but that's what makes it good
Review: My mother was uncertain about me buying this video at first, but when I insisted on getting it after reading the reviews here I was satisfied that my money had been well spent. The Saint is unlike any movie I've ever seen before. Like in my title: yes, it is abstract and dim, the dialogue gets a little backward and hard to understand, and Simon Templar seems to have very few motives that made him an international spy. His disguises give the movie it's comedy, of which there is not much because the lovely Elisabeth Shue is the co-star which of course catches your eye. The romance is rather weird but charming, and some things in the movie seem to happen for no reason at all. But it's still good spy action as Simon and Emma, Shue's character who has created the formula for cold fusion, are pursued around Russia by a politically powerful and corrupt group of authorities whom Simon tried to trick. Their adventures there, in Russia- which the movie displays as cold, crowded, and rather malevolent- are definitely worth your time. Val Kilmer is quite handsome and suave as the Saint, and although he's not english, this unique film will serve you well.

Rating:
Summary: The Last Hero ?
Review: At last! the notorious Simon Templar returns to our screens ! The Saint himself isn't quite the character of the criminally out-of print Leslie Charteris novels, but is suitably updated and polished for the 1990s. The film is best considered as an "origins" film in the vogue of Tim Burton's "Batman" trying to introduce a new audience to the Saint.

Oddly, Mr Charteris does not rate a mention by the films titles.

Plot wise the story hangs together with more coherence that the two "Mission: Impossible" movies and Val Kilmer does creditable service as Templar(especially in his various guises). The disguises are a bit more believable and the gadgets are employed in a creative, yet functionally manner. You do believe that the stuff does what is depicted.

The romance angle is tender, but never maudlin or cloying. It adds to the overall enjoyment. It does not make this film a "chick-flick".

Sadly mauled by critics with little better to do it seems we will all have to wait a little longer to see the sign of the Saint again....

Rating:
Summary: Not So Saintly
Review: First off, I have to disagree with the 'official' critic in regards to this story. It's a wonderful piece of escapism, pure and simple and as such, it's a great film.

Although the Simon Templar we see in the film isn't the one we've come to recognise through the literature and other movies, he is still a very likeable character in his own right.

A master of disguise, thief and all round ladies man, Simon Templar takes a job to steal the formula for cold fusion from a professor so that he can retire on the money that he'll make from the job.

All goes well until he meets the professor and finds her to be a young beautiful woman. He falls for her and decides not to steal the formula from her but the person who hired him threatens to kill her if he doesn't complete the job as planned.

So, he takes the formula and from then on he does his best to keep one jump ahead of everyone using high tech equipment and pure good luck as well as trying to stop the cold fusion formula getting into the wrong hands.

Does he get the girl? The ending will not disappoint.

There are three steps to becoming a saint - he may falter along the way but eventually he takes them. Great piece of evening's entertainment after a hard at work when you just want relax.

Rating:
Summary: Satire on itself
Review: This is a totally ridiculous flick. Characters and places are very sketchy and hardly credible. It misses the tongue in cheek charm of the James Bond movies. As Russian I have to admit I was annoyed about the fact that Russia was pictured so one-dimensionally. It portrayed as an awful place populated by murderers and money-grabbing morons. But the mercenary spy named Simon Templar saved the place. The Saint is driven by pure monetary reasons, but also by crusading spirit (one of the first scenes shows him as a boy reading a book about Knights Templar). Just passing by he manages to liberate the people of Russia from the grip of the monstrous, crazy and power-craving oil magnate. On the way he meets one very nice girl and falls in love. The movie is so bad that it is kind of a satire on itself. At places it reminds me the moronic anti-American propaganda of the Soviet times but in reverse. If you want to see a movie with real suspense, well-developed characters and real Russia you should get "The Russia House". "The Saint" doesn't hold a candle to it.

Rating:
Summary: Sinner
Review: The huge success of detective stories at the beginning of the last century inspired tons of imitation Sherlocks, and even imitations of the imitations. Simon Templar, "The Saint," was one of the latter. There never was much to Templar to begin with; he was just a debonair smart aleck in the tradition of Philo Vance and Bulldog Drummond. But surely even a fourth-rate cardboard character deserves more than this: being turned into a vehicle for Val Kilmer's apparently limitless self-indulgence. The film is actually a Kilmer anthology - donning about a dozen so-called disguises, he never gets around to acting the part of Templar, but he does run through all the trademark Val characters (smoldering lounge lizard, buck-toothed comic, stoic tough guy). We're supposed to care because he doesn't know how to be HIMSELF, but in fact we're grateful for small favors. The movie is also memorable for a second awful performance -- by Elisabeth Shue, who appears visibly frustrated and puzzled over how to play scenes with her bizarre co-star.

Rating:
Summary: This movie was good as is.
Review: I don;t know why some people were disapointed with this movie, I think it was pretty good as it is, with a pretty solid plot, and good chemistry with the two main stars; Val Kilmer and Elisabeth Shue. I was also happy that Roger Moore did put in an apperance of sorts at the end of the movie, I think fans of the Saint will enjoy this movie.

Rating:
Summary: an OK SAINT
Review: roger moore will always be the best actor to play the suave debonair simon templar a.k.a. The Saint. i remember ian ogilvy and simon dutton also played the role on british tv but very poorly. so val kilmer took the part as templar. he's ok and the film's got some great action but c'mon, kilmer's not british! A BRITISH ACTOR HAS 2 PLAY THE BRITISH CHARACTER! jude law, hugh grant, ralph or joseph fiennes, clive owen of CROUPIER! any thirtysomething athletic actor from the UK could've been THE SAINT. Kilmer wears so many disguises here i thought i was seeing THE NUTTY PROF---uh, NUTTY SAINT. elisabeth shue as a nuclear fission specialist or something of that nature, puh-leez. and there must have been like 4-5 different endings before we hear roger moore in a voice cameo doing the BBC radio news. still an ok flick but if there's a another SAINT movie, i suggest clive owen. ok? see him in the brilliant CROUPIER.

Rating:
Summary: kilmar is HOT !!!!!!
Review: ...this movie was orgasmic...val kilmar in a one piece, form fitting body suit caused me to stop the vcr and grab a fresh pair of undies...but really...it was a great film, it had an actual story to it and i fell in love with both val and elizabeth...please please please starting making "THE SAINT II".

Rating:
Summary: One of the greats
Review: I have watched this movie so many times it boggles the mind. Every time I watch it I like it even more. I think The Saint was very under-rated. It has it all. Good acting by Kilmer and Shue, as well as good effects, stuntwork and a solid story.

This is what good spy movies should be like. Granted Templar is a thief, but that's a technicallity in this movie. Arguably the best thief in the world is working his way towards retirement when he gets caught up in a plot, led by a Russian oil tychoon names Tretiak, to take over the USSR.

Shue plays Doctor Russell who is working on the formula for cold fusion that Templar is tasked to steal. She becomes a partner of sorts to Templar in a quest to thwart the plans of Tretiak.

Every aspect of The Saint comes together to make it a modern day classic that can challenge the likes of Goldeneye and other great spy movies.

Not only an action film, The Saint has the nice subplot of a love story between Templar and Dr. Russell, that plays a larger role in the ladder half of the movie as the two characters fall for each other.

Why this movie didn't break out as a hit I think I may never know. At least you now have the change to make up for what you missed in the theaters. Enjoy a sleeper hit movie with The Saint.

Rating:
Summary: The Entire Film Is Nothing more Than A Joke
Review: Val Kilmer the saint? what were the producers thinking casting him? this movie stinks nothing like the original, it places too much time on gimmicks than storyline big mistake. This film is travisty to The ledgendary sereis.