User reviews

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

In the early 1970's, a rebel IRA faction, headed by Doiraenn McCann (Kerry Condon) plant a carbomb in a side street. Meanwhile, Finbar Murphy (Liam Neeson) is a former World War II veteran and mercenary, carrying out assignments for contractor Robert McQue (Colm Meaney.) Burnt out and cynical, he finds a personal reason to care when he sees a young girl being controlled by Curtis Jane (Desmond Eastwood), which sets in motion a shattering chain of events, involving a collision with Doiraenn and her clan.

No matter how much time passes, the western remains one of the most enduring genres, always finding new life in different variations in different styles of films, even to the point of being used in films set in the present times. Director Robert Lorenz is the latest example of this, following in the footsteps of films like 2016's Hell or High Water, with this slow burner. If you don't know it's been framed as a 'modern western', it won't immediately dawn on you, making the experience all the more of a meandering one.

Set against the backdrop of some pretty turbulent events in Ireland's history, it gives it some pretty heavy baggage to contend with, against the motivation of making some kind of modern day Clint Eastwood film. But in terms of lead star Neeson, it just feels like another notch on the post of his later life action hero trajectory, which he infuses with his usual gruff, mumbling style, to much the same effect as ever. He's propped up by a support cast, including veteran's such as Meany, and Condon, who is effectively icy and hard faced as the dogged central protagonist.

For die hard fans of the western genre who still exist in this day and age, the slower, more meandering pace and atomised plot might be more acceptable. It may even do this for those with a passing interest, and the result is something at least marginally successful. ***

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.

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.

After one generic action movie after another, Liam Neeson stars in a different kind of movie.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the former, this movie was a pleasant surprise for me for two reasons: first, it's a slower paced movie that's more of a drama than an action thriller. Secondly (and most importantly), there is no clear line between good and evil. Most of the characters can be seen as both saints and sinners in their own way.

I also liked the actors (besides Liam Neeson, especially Ciarán Hinds), the score and the landscape shots.

If you like Liam Neeson's earlier action movies but want to see something different with him in the lead role, you should watch this movie!

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 is one of the better offerings from Liam Neeson which have been released in the last 5 or 6 years.

Set in Ireland at the time of 'The Troubles' it's pretty clear what you're going to get as soon as the film starts. And there won't be any twists and turns. But the film still entertains.

It moves along at a good pace and despite (Liam's character) Finbar being of a very dubious disposition we soon root for him against a gang of evil IRA bombers who have been blowing kids up.

The Irish scenery is beautiful and at times bleak.

The film manages to look and feel like a 70s story and the acting is very good from everyone involved.

This one is well worth a watch.

Entertaining and satisfying.

Great for a rainy night in.

Liam Neeson seems well suited to the role as a widowed hitman going up against the IRA, probably because its on his home turf and seems more relaxed around others from the same county?

He plays well off Ciaran Hinds as the local Garda and their friendship is funny and touching.

Kerry Condon is excellent as the villian; believable and refreshing to see a female as the baddie.

I liked the scenery (obviously!) and the soundtrack is solid.

We did struggle a lot with the dialogue , the accents here are very thick so we found it difficult to follow events.

The sweet, good natured Irish villagers and their simple life seemed trite and stereotypical but it's an watchable, well acted would be 'Western'

Once again one of the better Liam Neeson films. The film is entertaining and has a great cast. The simple story, about IRA terrorists who cross paths with Liam Neeson, stands out above all because of the camera. The landscape shots are beautiful. The music is atmospherically good. The film is told in a straight forward manner. No action fireworks, but a quiet and atmospheric thriller. A worthwhile film that is surprisingly different to otherwise tried and tested Liam Neeson films. It's amazing what this little film brings out of its actors in terms of performance. Little jewels in a simple setting.

Watching this film made me feel like I was a kid watching my Mums tv in the early 90's.

A sweet little film with a very simple storyline. Most 80's and 90's films/programmes were all pretty much simple stories. These days, films are always trying to be extravagant all the time with shock factors. I like me that this film felt very easy, fresh and homely. No major effects and fake personalities.

Liam is always great to watch, love his voice and accent. Always plays a wholesome man who tries to do the right thing.

Music was very sweet too throughout. I'm a UK girl but it's lovely having a hearty film to watch.

Also, just saying: Rita should've gone with him.

Apart from the producers 'cramming in' an African musician playing Irish music in 1970's rural Ireland (why do they feel a need to do that?) it was a fairly entertaining film.

Liam Neeson is back in familiar territory with a moody good guy/bad guy persona but I thought the story line was a bit weak. The Irish countryside was the star of the show- magnificent sweeping vistas of the beautiful Donegal coastline. I'm somewhat surprised they found so many sunny days to shoot the film!

The film has snippets of humour and some quite dark parts but it dealt with the violence of the period pretty well.

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.

In the Land of Saints and Sinners is about an assassin that have quitted his job and is about to start a new life, but then, the new problems are coming, and the small place in England in the middle of nowhere, is in danger. The story isn't new, but the thing they do in here is very good. First of all, the main character, Finbar Murphy, is a well presented person, with good character development, and they show very clearly the connection between his good friends and the people that lives in the small place. I could see that he really cared about them, and the plot feels much more important then. The story was a little strange to understand at the beginning, which direction are they going to go, but later on everything went good, the puzzles were placed on the right places, and the action and suspense were turned on. The suspense was holding and I really enjoyed the storyline and how everything was evolving and leading nearer and nearer the grand final, with the final moment of action. The action sequences were well made, with some nice camera filming and good music in the background. The film did have generally good music, some suspenseful, some old violin music and some classic British style. Besides that, I really liked the pictures in here. Great pictures of beautiful nature, and the light set-up and camera angles were outstanding. The small town was presented very well too. After all, the movie ended good, it was generally good, and I have to admit that this was a very nice thriller! The start could have a better beginning, something more that could give me a clear focus of the situation, but after everything, the bricks went on the right place. I do recommend it.

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 stars as Finbar Murphy, a hitman based in Northern Ireland back in the 1970s. Quite early on in the film, Finbar decides he wants to live a different life now, and grow a garden in the outskirts of his quiet village. He ends up doing one last job of his own which sparks an unintentional war with a small gang of IRA. The film is made very well, with good actors and the pleasant surprise of King Joffrey from Game of Thrones which is the first film I have seen him in. The scene is set very well for a big finale, which in my opinion, delivers quite well. The rating for this film was probably closer to an 8 than a 7 but 7.5 would be around the deserved rating for me. Not sure what more the film could've done, simple but well executed.

Its nice to see Liam go back to his roots and see him in an irish film, its also one of his better action films of recent. In this he plays finbar a retired hitman that decides to hang his gun up after shooting cans with ciaran hinds. Im also happy ciaran is here another fine actor. After a car bombing near a cafe the culprit finds their way to finbars peaceful village and soon they relise they shouldn;t have because he means buisness and messing with his land is one way to get a tree planted on you. The paceing was good and it was a really enjoyable film especailly the cast which was pretty exceptional all over pretty impressed.

The movie mostly shines in capturing the essence of a 70s Ireland by showcasing some vintage cars and presenting beautiful visuals of the Irish countryside. It introduces compelling thematic elements that spark interest but frustratingly remain unexplored throughout the narrative.

Despite its unique and independent storyline, the film's delivery falls short. The story feels a bit shallow and the motives behind the antagonists actions at times seem unclear.

Condon as the villain is the standout performance of the film, and the involvement of Jack Gleeson is intriguing, but largely due to his nearly unrecognizable appearance due to his mustache. The film has a tremendous cast but it doesn't really seem to know what to do with them.

The thick Irish accents occasionally pose a challenge in understanding the dialogue, but it's a refreshing change to witness Neeson embracing his natural accent.

Nonetheless, Liam Neeson, at 71, continues to impress, adding another film to his impressive roster of action movies. Though this one feels much smaller than the rest, it goes without saying that he's showing no signs of slowing down.

This is a unique and small, but engaging film. It is an amalgam of a western and a martial arts film set in 1974 Ireland during the height civil unrest surrounding the IRA. The setting of the film, in a remote area if Ireland, where the inhabitants of a small village all know each other and, unwittingly, become the hideout for a group of terrorists whose bomb killed some children. Liam Neeson plays, with great appeal, a hit man with a conscience and soft side, He is really, really good. Kerry Condon is at the top of her game. She is powerful and feisty. Ciaran Hinds, also from HB's Rome, like Condon, is also really good. The characters and actors are strong. I like this film a lot. It is is not perfect, but it is refreshing and memorable. The script, Direction, and cinematography are great. This is good filmmaking.

I did find it watchable and Neeson adds to it with his screen presence. Personally, I found the lead female actress very weak and unconvincing. Some lovely scenery! I would say it is a decent film to watch on a rainy night, but it is not one you will remember for very long as apart from Neeson, the acting is very weak and soft. I suppose Neeson has become Ireland's Jason Statham, where you know you will get some decent action and that Neeson saves the world.

This film is a bit too Hollywood in that it doesn't get into any real detail about the reality of the civil war, it skirts around it so it can make the very usual hero v bad guy plot.

After their Belfast bombing goes awry in terrific 1974-based Irish dramatic thriller "In The Land of Saints And Sinners", IRA militant Kerry Condon (excellent again) & crew hide out in the small Donegal hometown of Ciarán Hinds (a quiet cop) and his pal Liam Neeson (a low lying hired killer (with Jack Gleeson (outstanding)) under Colm Meaney). As paths cross, friction flares, violence kicks in, all leading to quite the explosive show-down. While director Robert Lorenz doesn't QUITE do justice to his superb cast (the film's not as dark & weighty as it maybe coulda been), writers Mark Michael McNally & Terry Loane certainly still make it engaging. Eminently watchable fare.

An engaging, and thankfully not too long Crime film. Starring a back to form Neeson, some trusty old favourites, and a handful of excellent new faces, plus of course some beautifully wild Irish scenery, shot to perfection. The production did a great job of reproducing the 1974 era, fashion, decor, cars and music.

The plot moved along at a steady pace, with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. A bit more action would not have been out of place, it is a liam Neeson film after all. Dialogue was believable and fitting to the characters, which were all convincingly portrayed. Though the thick Irish accents were at times difficult to follow, for this viewer anyway, but nothing important was missed.

An enjoyable 1 hour 30 plus, and a solid 7/10. But I was left with the feeling that some judicial rewriting, more intense directing, and a bit more soul, could have made this a 9, and a possible action/drama classic?

Set in the 1970's, the premise of the story should be much more nail-biting. Instead, it's sort of fizzles out quickly. Without some Irish humor from. Ciaran Hinds and the committed performance from Kerry Condon, most of this would just die on the vine.

Which makes sense why they would wait this long to release it. The no-man's land of movies.

This has the quality of a 70's western.

A band of outlaws commit a crime and hide out in a small town where they have a conflict with a vicious criminal who has grown a conscience. See what a great movie that would've been. Instead, it lingers too long on points that don't matter. And have invested characters that don't survive to the last reel. Nope, it had to have this oddly underplayed conclusion that is neither thought provoking or interesting. Bah! It could've been so much more.

After years of making the same type of film, Liam Neeson has finally moved to a different direction. Yes, he's still brandishing a gun and blasting people to pieces, but the storyline is very different from his usual style.

1974 Ireland looks very bleak and old fashioned and, if being honest here, some rural parts still look like that now ! This film certainly isn't one for the Irish tourist board!

The acting was good and it was nice to see the young lad who played Joffrey in GoT have a decent role after the aforementioned show.

The film really shows that anyone can justify to themselves their actions, albeit it bad ones.

The movie captivated me from the beginning with its enchanting soundtrack and stunning graphics. The actors' performances felt so authentic, drawing me into the story effortlessly. Despite its brevity, I found myself thoroughly enjoying every moment of the film. The inclusion of beautiful classic cars added an extra layer of charm to the overall aesthetic. Additionally, the portrayal of different climates and weather in the movie added a visually striking element to the storytelling. I couldn't help but wonder if the filmmaker behind this masterpiece would one day be recognized with an Oscar for their exceptional work.