In the Land of Saints and Sinners
In a remote Irish village, a damaged Finbar is forced to fight for redemption after a lifetime of sins, but what price is he willing to pay? In the land of saints and sinners, some sins can't be buried.
- Released: 2023-06-02
- Runtime: 106 minutes
- Genre: Action, Crime, Thrillers
- Stars: Ciarán Hinds, Conor MacNeill, Colm Meaney, Liam Neeson, Seamus O'Hara, Jack Gleeson, Desmond Eastwood, Kerry Condon, Michelle Gleeson, Laura Hughes, Bernadette Carty, James Sadat, Sarah Greene, Niamh Cusack, Mark O'Regan, Anne Brogan, Conor Hamill
- Director: Robert Lorenz
Comments
- merlincym - 11 June 2024
Liam is on top form.
Liam Neeson plays the role of jaded killer brilliantly, and the supporting crew, Colm Meaney, Kerry Condon, Niamh Cusack make this film a bit of a gem in a wilderness of bland American smash and bash comic com trash.
Set in Ireland in the high of the troubles (1970's) the story is believable - if a little over played in places.
The scenery is almost as bleak and brooding as the story and matches the mood of the film, excellently.
All in all it's a good 2 hours that will hook you in and passes without too much "What! Really!!' And give you more "Yeah, good" moments.
Liam is on top form.
Don't let this one pass you by. - Scar38 - 8 May 2024
Surprisingly good.
I honestly thought this was going to be boring, but it was the total opposite, great cast and great acting, Liam Neeson is always good, in fact he is just amazing and Kerry Condon, wow! I almost didn't recognise her, but she was so good.
The film started slowly but when it got going it was quite mesmerising.
My special praise goes to Jack Gleeson, I hated him in Game of Thrones, obviously because of who he played, but watching him in this proved to me what a good actor he is, he almost stole this from Liam Neeson.
I gave this an 8 for the story and the acting which were excellent.
Bravo to whoever wrote it. - wellthatswhatithinkanyway - 29 April 2024
Slow burning, slowly absorbing 'modern western.'
STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful
In the early 1970's, a rebel IRA faction, headed by Doiraenn McCann (Kerry Condon) plant a carbomb in a side street. Meanwhile, Finbar Murphy (Liam Neeson) is a former World War II veteran and mercenary, carrying out assignments for contractor Robert McQue (Colm Meaney.) Burnt out and cynical, he finds a personal reason to care when he sees a young girl being controlled by Curtis Jane (Desmond Eastwood), which sets in motion a shattering chain of events, involving a collision with Doiraenn and her clan.
No matter how much time passes, the western remains one of the most enduring genres, always finding new life in different variations in different styles of films, even to the point of being used in films set in the present times. Director Robert Lorenz is the latest example of this, following in the footsteps of films like 2016's Hell or High Water, with this slow burner. If you don't know it's been framed as a 'modern western', it won't immediately dawn on you, making the experience all the more of a meandering one.
Set against the backdrop of some pretty turbulent events in Ireland's history, it gives it some pretty heavy baggage to contend with, against the motivation of making some kind of modern day Clint Eastwood film. But in terms of lead star Neeson, it just feels like another notch on the post of his later life action hero trajectory, which he infuses with his usual gruff, mumbling style, to much the same effect as ever. He's propped up by a support cast, including veteran's such as Meany, and Condon, who is effectively icy and hard faced as the dogged central protagonist.
For die hard fans of the western genre who still exist in this day and age, the slower, more meandering pace and atomised plot might be more acceptable. It may even do this for those with a passing interest, and the result is something at least marginally successful. ***
