The Saint
Director: | Phillip Noyce |
Writers: | Jonathan Hensleigh and Wesley Strick |
Director of Photography: | Phil Meheux |
Editor: | Terry Rawlings |
Music: | Graeme Revell |
Production Designer: | Joseph Nemec III |
Producers: | David Brown, Robert Evans, William J. MacDonald and Mace Neufeld |
Paramount; PG-13; 115 minutes | |
Release: | 4/97 |
Cast: | Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue, Rade Serbedzija and Valery Nikolaev |
Based on a story by Jonathan Hensleigh |
Mission: Impossible immediately comes to mind after suffering through The Saint. Neither should have been remade, both plots were confusing and both boasted sky-high production costs, which made the films look spectacular. But looks are not everything. Kilmer's Simon Templar overdoes his mysteriousness and Shue, though charming and talented, cannot overcome the ridiculous script and a one-dimensional character. Career crook and master of disguise Templar needs to pull off one last job so he can retire a rich man with a $50-million bankroll. Russian billionaire Ivan Tretiak (Serbedzija), who is out to control Russia by seizing the country's energy reserves, hires him to steal the formula for cold fusion from scientist Emma Russell (Shue). No problem, until Templar meets and falls for Russell.