High-Octane
Summary
In the Land of Saints and Sinners is elevated by its Donegal location and an interesting set of characters; there a few shoot-outs and explosions to keep things moving too making this one of Neeson’s better vehicles.
Plot: Hoping to leave his dark past behind him, former assassin Finbar Murphy leads a quiet life in a coastal Irish town, far from the political violence that grips the rest of the country. When menacing terrorists show up, Finbar soon discovers that one of them has been abusing a local girl. Drawn into an increasingly vicious game of cat and mouse, he must choose between exposing his secret identity and defending his friends and neighbors.
Review: Liam Neeson has been in some hit or miss movies over the past few years, but I was optimistic about In the Land of Saints and Sinners as it is filmed and set in Donegal, Ireland which my family has a close affinity with.
I’m happy to say it doesn’t disappoint capturing the spirit of Donegal while also giving us engaging characters and several action scenes including some shoot-outs and explosions.
Liam Neeson is pretty much the same character he usually plays as a hitman who wants to retire, but fate has other plans; his world weary face works for the character and he is perfectly cast.
Kerry Condon is a revelation as the villain Doireann McCann who is believable yet totally unsympathetic as a terrorist out for revenge against the man who murdered who brother. It’s nice to see Jack Gleeson (Joffrey himself) again after leaving showbusiness for a while playing a junior assassin who is a little unhinged, but still loyal to Liam’s character Finbar.
This may have more character drama than action fans would like, but I was very much into the story as it had heart and seeing an action movie filmed in Donegal is something I never thought I would see. It’s almost a character in itself and the film would have less impact if it was made somewhere else.
Overall, In the Land of Saints and Sinners has Liam Neeson doing what he does best, but having it set in Donegal gives it a different feel from your usual retired hitman has to do one last job trope. There is enough bloodshed to keep viewers engaged, but I think I will like this movie more than most purely due to my family connection.
