The Saint (1997)

Director:

Phillip Noyce

Writers (WGA):

Leslie Charteris (character)
Jonathan Hensleigh (story)

Release Date:

4 April 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Cunning. Devious. Dangerous. Treacherous.

Plot:

Simon Templar has no real family, no real home and Simon Templar isn't even his real name. Yet Simon Templar ...

Plot Keywords:

Theme Song | Electronic Music | Undressing Scene | Former Soviet Union | Political

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Val Kilmer	...	Simon Templar
Elisabeth Shue	...	Dr. Emma Russell
Rade Serbedzija	...	Ivan Tretiak
Valeri Nikolayev	...	Ilya Tretiak (as Valery Nikolaev)
Henry Goodman	...	Dr. Lev Botvin
Alun Armstrong	...	Inspector Teal
Michael Byrne	...	Vereshagin, Tretiak's Aide
Yevgeni Lazarev	...	President Karpov (as Evgeny Lazarev)
Irina Apeksimova	...	Frankie (as Irina Apeximova)
Lev Prygunov	...	General Sklarov (as Lev Prigunov)
Charlotte Cornwell	...	Inspector Rabineau
Emily Mortimer	...	Woman on Plane
Lucija Serbedzija	...	Russian Prostitute
Velibor Topic	...	Skinhead
Tommy Flanagan	...	Scarface

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for action violence, brief strong language, some sensuality and drug content.

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Philippines:PG-13 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Foreign Affairs Ministry building, Moscow, Russia

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The song that is playing in the Russian community flat where Simon and Emma hide is a Turkmen song performed by Atabay Chariguliyev, "Ayrilsa".

Goofs:

Continuity: While fleeing "Tretiak's goons" on the rooftop of the apartment building, Simon is wearing a black hat. When he follows Emma through the roof access, the hat has disappeared and his hair is perfectly styled.

Quotes:

Emma: I'm glad it stopped bleeding. You don't need stitches. We have to disinfect it though.
Simon: You really are an angel.
Emma: Mmm hmm.
[soaking cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and approaching the cut with it]
Emma: It's gonna hurt.
Simon: AHH!
[surprising Emma, laughing]
Simon: Ha ha...! sorry...
[serious, realizing it wasn't funny]
Simon: I'm sorry... Are you alright?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 1st Annual Mystery Science Theater 3000 Summer Blockbuster Review (1997) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Anthem Of The Soviet Union

Am I the only one to like it?

I liked this movie. Not as "The Saint" but as an elaborate action movie with a twist. Val Kilmer bears nothing in him that even gets close to Roger Moore's character - but if you look away from that and try to see it as an ordinary film, it's really good.

First of all, Val Kilmer performs fairly well, despite his weird accents. I really liked his artist type guy who seduces Emma Russell, he was great fun.

As for the story, well...I didn't bother to check for anomalies, I knew I'd find plenty. I only have two more things to say:

1. Elisabeth Shue is absolutely stunningly beautiful in this film.

2. The cool car that we only get to see a few seconds is a Volvo C70, a worthy replacement for the Volvo P1800 that Moore's Saint drove around in.