The Saint

By reading a Facebook post today of how astonishingly good this film was without getting it's proper due, I have decided to delve into the matter even more. I agreed with the rant I read, and I was taken back to the time and place and person I saw this film with. I was a Freshman and my current girlfriend (as I had dozens in my youth) and I went to watch this film. Being only 15, we use to use the movies as a 2 hour break from our families since neither of us could drive. We would use this time basically to make out. I mean, ticket prices were like $4 and we apparently could not contain ourselves. The Saint, however, was a different scenario. Even though I liked the ladies, I still really had an appreciation for film, and within 20 minutes of this beginning, I had to put a kibosh on her plans, because this film was A: going to AWESOME; and B: going to need our full attention in order to keep up with the premise. Val Kilmer plays Simon Templar which turns out to be an alias. He is the world's most renowned thief. You pay, he steals...it's that simple. He is in and out of brilliant disguises, so he never looks the same. Whether he is doing recon, or actually stealing the item he needs, he never looks like himself, and he never breaks character. Then one normal day he gets a call from the Russian mafia. They hire him to steal a cold fusion science that a brilliant young American scientist named Dr. Emma Russell (Elisabeth Shue) has been working on. It's not a complete method, but it does not lack much. This is not a smash and grab type of job. It's more like a trust gainer, turned south...for her , not him. He's a pro, and she gets duped...it's not her fault. He is so dreamy with that long flowing hair. The problem that arises are his feeling s for her. He unintentionally falls for her. I can see why, She is Elisabeth Shue. Once he steals it, she wants it back, and she is not afraid of him, so she confronts him and they get into it. Now it goes from mission accomplished to a complete pooch screw. She causes trouble for him to say the least. Now he is being torn in 3 direction. She wants it back, the Russians want it, and he wants to do the right thing. All in all it's a pretty basic spy/thief thriller, but what I feel sets it apart is his fascination with the Catholic Saints. All of his alias's are named after Saints, and the rules to becoming a Saint is well documented throughout the film. There are 3 things one do in order to become a saint, and he plans on completing these three "miracles" before he is killed either by his girlfriend of the Ruskies. He is able to set the stage and all the players are in place. He has planned a win/win/win situation. If all three don't win, there will be only one loser, Him. He needs this to work, because he has finally found purpose in this life, and if he doesn't succeed his home country USA will forever be crippled by the Russians new technology, plus he wants Emma. This movie is very James Bond-ish, but with a really well thought out scientific appeal. It's smart and fun and sexy.



NBM rates The Saint - Awesome