Movie of the Month: The Saint

Based on a 60’s TV show starring Roger Moore, 1997 saw Val Kilmer take on the role of master thief, and master of disguise, Simon Templar for a big budget reboot.

Although it’s only vaguely explained in the trailer, Elisabeth Shue has invented a way to create cold fusion, which would provide unlimited energy to the world.  Templar is hired to steal her formula but falls for her and has to keep she and the formula away from evil Russians who want to use the formula to gain control of the world’s energy industry.  The main thing about The Saint is that it’s peak Kilmer, with the former Batman getting to fully unleash his arsenal of wacky affectations and accents for his various alter egos that were previously seen in movies like Tombstone and Island of Dr Moreau.  It was directed by Phillip Noyce, who previously directed Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger, and it absolutely has that distinctive 90’s thriller look and feel.  It’s on Netflix and we’ll be tackling it for our commentary at the end of the month.