Desert Saints

If you're not a Kiefer fan, I'm not so sure. Me, I'm a Kiefer fan and while I will say I liked this film well enough, I'll also say it's not the best film in the world. I enjoyed Kiefer's ability to play a professional killer and yet you actually kind of like him by the end of it. I did not like Melora Walters. Her voice grated on me I guess. Jamey Sheridan (The Walkin' Dude from Stephen King's 'The Stand') was completely wasted in this I felt. He's a great actor as well but I don't think his character was developed enough.

In fact, I'd say none of the characters were really well-developed. And as a fan of character study movies, I was disappointed in this. But it wasn't *all* bad. There are quite a few scenes I found enjoyable to watch but overall, it's just a so-so flick.

i saw this movie last night for the first time. i thought it was very interesting though a bit muddled and confusing in the first half especially. the film jumps back and forth in time with flashforwards and flashbacks without notice. until you figure this out it is a bit confusing and jarring. the ending is unexpected and to a certain degree unsatisfying as part of it comes out of nowhere. still it's an interesting movie that you think about afterwards and may want to see twice just to understand better. the acting is good. kiefer is fine and hunky for all the women out there. melora walters is great and you will fall in love with her like i did. ** 1/2 stars

Desert Saints is a surprisingly good 'hitman with a twist' tale by first time writer/director Richard Greenberg. He takes the standard 'assassin's last hit' formula, and shakes it up by introducing FBI agents with their own agendas, a 'plant' who may or may not be falling for the gunman, and, in Kiefer Sutherland, a hero/villain who is ruthless, sexy, and, ultimately, sympathetic. His performance is remarkable, and is matched by Melora Walters, as the latest of his string of doomed accomplices, who is keeping even more secrets than he is! She shows a remarkable range in her role, at times ditzy, at times mysterious and sexy, and, by the film's climax, intelligent and self-sufficient.

For an indie, the cast is first-rate all the way, with the always reliable Jamey Sheridan as a veteran FBI agent, as dedicated to his job as Sutherland is to his; Leslie Stefanson as Sheridan's second-in-command, and the wild card of the operation; and, in a very sexy cameo, Rachel Ticotin, who smolders as a waitress and occasional bedmate for Sutherland.

Greenberg cleverly uses flashbacks and flashforwards to lull the viewer into believing they know how the story will end, then springs a surprise that works extremely well, and will have you paying VERY close attention to detail during the last five minutes! While the ambiguous ending may disappoint some viewers, it offers a clever 'capper' to this tale of betrayal, and works for me!

If you are a fan of Sutherland, or stories with a twist and enough sensuality to raise your heartbeat a few notches, 'Desert Saints' is the film for you!

Richard Greenberg, the director of "Desert Saints", has been involved with a lot of movies as an assistant director. It's clear he has learned his craft well. This film, which he co-wrote with Waley Nichols, came as a total surprise, not having seen it before.

If you haven't seen the film, please stop reading here.

Arthur Banks is a hired killer. Arthur is an educated man, who has gone to the other side of the law because he is an impeccable man as far as doing his job well for a lot of money. Don't double cross him though, because he will take care of anyone that dares to do so in a cool and detached manner, as we see him do as the film opens.

When he meets Beenie, we wonder why is he taking a chance on the hitchhiking girl, or for that matter, what makes the girl go with this stranger, who might be a criminal on the loose. How naive can this woman be? Of course, this chance meeting is what is at the heart of the movie, as we shall see later on. In fact, Banks seems to have hand picked Beenie to mold her into his own plan.

In the meantime, we watch as FBI agents are following Banks' trail all over Arizona. They know he is heading south to Mexico, but what is he going to do there? Arthur Banks is planning to take down a Mexican political figure, but things change for him unexpectedly as he prepares to do his thing.

The last sequence is intriguing because it's something unexpected, as we watch how Beenie fools the people that want to talk to her. It appears that Beenie has a friend who has been working with her from within, but will Beenie be able to fool Arthur Banks? Well, your guess is as good as anyone's because the ambiguous ending the cunning director has given his story.

The film works because of Kiefer Sutherland's take on Arthur Banks. This actor always can be counted to deliver in anything he does. Besides his good looks, Mr. Sutherland projects an intelligence as he plays the character he is portraying on the screen, as proved by his many other films.

Melora Walters is also effective as Beenie, an enigmatic figure once we get to see her operate. Jamey Sheridan makes sense of his agent Scanlon, the man pursuing Banks through the desert. Leslie Stefanson's role shows a woman who might not be what she is supposed to be. Rachel Ticotin has a couple of good and hot scenes with Mr. Sutherland.

"Desert Saints" is a film that surprises because the direction by Richard Greenberg.

I couldn't find too many flaws in this movie and it certainly wasn't dull. Sutherland did a good job playing a jaded semi-sociopath with a hint of decency. I wouldn't call it entirely realistic human behavior but it had no glaring faults.

I watched this in large part because I've always found Melora Walters fun to look at, but there was an unusual scene where she emphasized that she had big hips, which she doesn't (they're noticeably trim). A double willing suspension of disbelief? Viewers will know what that scene was, and I wondered why they threw it it. Maybe it was originally meant for another actress.

Anyhow, this is worth seeing and probably won't disappoint anyone who likes Sutherland's other survival/road movies.