There Are No Saints

This is rough, tough, brutal, bloody, sadistic, disturbing, and also bringing some surprises, thanks to Paul Schrader - TAXI DRIVER screenwriter - the surprise being Ron Pearlman has only a very very little supporting appearance at the end. I expected him having the lead role. But who cares, it could have been played this lead character, by Jason Statham. Yes, this is not for the squeamish, not the sissies and it's a pretty good time waster. I don't now this main character but he's good, convincing. The story could be a bit too repetitive but again, that's a badass scheme. The ending is very surprising but could have been better.

I was actually shocked at all the low ratings for this film. Clearly, most of the headliner names gives it away that it's a B film, so I wasn't expecting much going into it. I almost didn't see it due to the bad ratings, but the trailer caught my attention, and I'm glad I saw it.

Mexican director Alfonso Pineda Ulloa did a great job with this film. The screenplay by seasoned writer Paul Schrader was actually suspenseful and action packed. The story wasn't anything revolutionary to the genre, and still had the typical cliches, but certainly had its tense and unsuspecting moments, enough to keep me engaged. The score was excellent, especially for a B film. The cinematography was on point, and the landscape shots were great.

There were some great names in the casting, and most performed excellent, but I feel José María Yazpik was miscast. His low-tone whisper voice got annoying and unconvincing really quick, and that cheapened the film. His performance was good, and his action scenes decent, but his character's demeanor just wasn't convincing. There was even this scene with Neal McDonough and Yazpik in the kitchen that was just off - McDonough being too aloof and goofy, and Yazpik on the other side of the scale being way too serious. Maybe better cast direction from a more seasoned director would have fixed those type of issues. Tim Roth, Ron Perlman and Tommy Flanagan played their parts excellent and convincing.

It's actually a much better production than I expected, and certainly undeserving of anything under 5. For a B film, I surprisingly enjoyed it and recommend it, and thus it's a well deserved 7.5 rounded up to an 8/10 from me.

If you're looking for some mindless action you might enjoy this movie. The action scenes are violent and entertaining to watch. But the plot is just a bit too exaggerated to make this movie stand out. The Jesuit, the main character, a villain going on a rampage is almost untouchable. We've all seen movies like this before, so nothing new here. The cast has some good names, but overal I thought they could have done much better. Just watch it for the action scenes, if you're not shy of a bit violence.

Greetings again from the darkness. If you've ever wondered what it would look like if the often-great Paul Schrader wrote his version of the Liam Neeson action-revenge film, TAKEN (2008), well here is your answer. Okay, so it's not the exact story line, but it's close enough for conversation, and director Alfonso Pineda Ulloa seems happy to work with a script that is not Schrader's best, yet clearly bears his stamp. The esteemed screenwriter has had recent success with THE CARD COUNTER (2021) and FIRST REFORMED (2017), both of which he also directed. And his track record of screenplays includes such remarkable work as TAXI DRIVER (1976), HARDCORE (1979), AMERICAN GIGGOLO (1980), RAGING BULL (1980), and AFFLICTION (1997).

Jose Maria Yazpik stars as Neto Niente, known on the street as "The Jesuit". We first see him being released from prison in Huntsville, Texas after serving only four years as a convicted murderer. As Neto is leaving, the jailer says, "I'm sure I'll see you again." Neto's sleazy attorney (played by Tim Roth) recommends he leave town and stay away. Of course, Neto says he first needs to see his young son. Julio (Keidrich Salladi, "The Americans" son Henry) is happy to see his beloved father, but Neto's wife Nadia (Paz Vega, SEX AND LUCIA, 2019) is frightened for their safety because her boyfriend, Vincent (Neal McDonough, fun to watch in two of my favorites "Justified" and "Boomtown"), is a psychopath criminal kingpin, and his reaction to Neto's visit is murder and kidnapping.

Before learning that his son has been kidnapped, Neto tries to calm the waters with those pursuing him. This includes the local police and the Mexican cartel that he once worked for. We see flashbacks of Neto's work and it's obvious the film's title fits. During all of this, he meets Inez (Shannyn Sossamon) a capitalistic strip club worker. The two team up to track Julio to Mexico, but not until Neto has had a few brutally violent run-ins with the cartel and a gun dealer who goes by the name Jet Rink (James Dean's character in GIANT was Jett Rink). The gun dealer is played by Tommy Flanagan ("Sons of Anarchy"), and their meeting is yet another brutally violent scene.

Neto is a tough, confident, man, who despite his particular set of skills, remains mostly quiet; however, he is consistently involved in brutally violent interactions, which is why I keep referring the film's brutal violence. I'd like to say this is an exaggeration, but it's not. And just in case some viewers need more, Act 3 ratchets things up a notch. Ron Perlman (a hardworking actor recently seen in last year's NIGHTMARE ALLEY) shows up as Sans, some kind of crime lord who has a dungeon perfectly set up for torture and imprisonment, and director Ulloa takes full advantage.

The film's opening quote, paraphrased from the book of Exodus, reads "The sins of the father shall be visited upon the sons." This is a B-movie packed with thrills, adrenaline, energy, and yes ... brutal violence. It's a world of payback and retribution that never offers Neto the chance for the spiritual new beginning he hopes for. Schrader's script lacks the character depth of his best work, and seems to be aimed at a group of viewers with a very particular set of tastes.

In theaters, On Digital, and On Demand beginning May 27, 2022.

I wonder if there is a film recycling plant somewhere. They take in all the old films, plots, scenes, etc.. melt them down and then reuse. Perhaps this plant has quality control, all the good bits go into a few good films. All the stuff that is left and no one wants, seems to have ended up in this attempt.

Seen it all before and better. There was no acting, in fact it would have been more fun and believable to have wooden mannequins in the film. There was no story. The motivations of the characters was not explained. No idea what Tim Roth's character was about, other than an overblown cockney geezer. Choreography was daft, the lead could seemingly dodge bullets by smirking.

This is an unnecessary film.