In the Land of Saints and Sinners

I suppose this worked for me not because it has Liam Neeson dispensing typical Liam Neeson savior duties, but for its '70s Irish backdrop, some fine supporting performances, and a snowball-ish plot. For a change, Neeson looks and feels comfortable on his home turf, and his "good heart" becomes the reason for things spiraling out of control. An attempt to help one of the locals invites trouble, and though this is somewhat of a cliché in actioners featuring older stars, the story progression is quite interesting. Kerry Condon, in an antagonistic role, is having fun and chewing up the scenery (I can't wait to see how good she is in Night Swim). There's also the amusing sidekick character played by Jack Gleeson and the confused cop friend played by a reliable Ciarán Hinds; both commendable. Tom Stern's effort in capturing panoramic Irish imagery is probably the strongest reason, however, to watch the film.

At first glance this movie looks like the typical Liam Neeson action-revenge-flick that we all have gotten used to. But "In The Land of Saints and Sinners" stand out due to great acting by a stellar supporting cast and by fantastic cinematography.

The story takes place in a small irish coastal town during the 70's. Liam Neeson plays an ex war hero now turned hitman, and when trying to turn his old sinful life around he gets in trouble with a bunch of IRA.terrorists in hidehout after a bombing in Dublin.

The movie is filled with great supporting actors such as Ciarán Hinds, Cold Meaney,Jack Gleeson and Kerry Condon. The latter was great in The Banshees of Inisherin, and in this movie she plays a fantastic villain. The overall story and dialogue is OK, but it's the acting together with the beautiful cinematography that carries this movie to an above average Liam Neeson revenge flick.

In the Land of Saints and Sinners shows perfectly how you make a solid movie without putting billions into special effects and explosions - just tell an old tale new with the help of a superb cast. Especially the acting shines bright in this little flick and makes the story and the characters believable. No doubt, for someone just wanting lots of bum bum and computer generated gimmicks a la Fast and Furios or Tom Cruise's quests on high octane, this won't work to well, but for someone who wants a well told story, this one will do and provide plenty. Not an excellent one but a good one for sure.

In the Land of Saints and Sinners is an Irish Western that prioritises its characters over any action which makes it one of the better Liam Neeson vehicles of recent memory. It covers familiar ground in an effectively old fashioned way, operating as a slow burn and all the better for it.

Liam Neeson is on top form here. He's consistently engaging even if nothing is happening and with this focusing on the character work, he gets to show off more of his dramatic chops. Jack Gleeson has a roguish charm and Kerry Condon is a pretty ruthless villain despite the odd bit of sympathy.

Robert Lorenz's direction is thoroughly old school, all the way down to playing the credits over a final extended scene. It's workmanlike in its construction with some gorgeous scenery. Diego Baldenweg's score has a mournful quality that's an ideal fit for a film that's obsessed with the emotional toll of the violence opposed to the thrill of it.

Liam Neeson has been pumping out so many slightly generic action/revenge thrillers with the regularity of an alarm clock since Taken took off in 2008 that sometimes it's refreshing to see him do... an actual movie lol. In The Land Of Saints & Sinners is admittedly an action/revenge thriller by definition but it's a damn sight more thoughtful and artistic than most he's done lately and reminds us just what a powerful presence he can be with the right material. Here he's Finbar, a hitman in 1970's Northern Ireland who works for a local kingpin (Colm Meaney) whose outfit solely targets bad people. Finbar has vowed to give up killing, until he can't help himself knocking off the relative of a friend of his whose daughter the guy has been molesting. One less scumbag in the world, the only problem being that this particular scumbag is heavily connected to IRA factions that have been skulking in the area and soon his fiery sister (Kerry Condon) comes looking for those responsible with guns blazing. This is a wickedly suspenseful, character driven piece with vicious bursts of violence and terrific passages of philosophical dialogue in between. Neeson hasn't been this good in a while, he isn't simply on tough guy autopilot, he's actually playing *somebody.* Condon is terrifying as the fierce villainess, a monster who lost sight of her cause long ago and despite twisting morality to suit her own bitter agenda, isn't without a humanity herself that emanates through in her performance. Jack Gleeson proves that he's got more that Joffrey Lannister's sickening impudence in his acting stable and provides solid character work as a younger hitman with an unfortunate past who both admires and resents Finbar, while the usually striking Ciaran Hinds is oddly and sadly underused as the ineffective local policeman. This is a fine thriller with a rock solid, emotionally charged Neeson performance, intense antagonist work from Condon and gorgeous Irish scenery, one of the strongest films so far this year.