In the Land of Saints and Sinners
Liam Neeson stars as grizzled hitman Finbar Murphy in Netflix thriller In the Land of Saints and Sinners. Helmed by The Marksman (which also starred Neeson) director Robert Lorenz and set during the height of the Troubles, the film sees a group of IRA bombers (led by a ferocious Kerry Condon) flee Belfast after a job goes wrong. They land south of the border in a sleepy village in Donegal where Finbar is trying to live a quiet life reading books and planting a garden. However, he soon finds himself at war with the bombers when an encounter with one of them ends in bloodshed.
From its middle-of-nowhere small-town setting and collection of stereotypical characters, this film is very much an Irish Western complete with a folksy soundtrack of harmonica and fiddles that are driven by the relentless beat of a spaghetti western. It’s a tone that perfectly matches Neeson’s performance as the hardened but caring deliverer of justice who’s forced to do one last job. Neeson is in his element and gives a thoroughly engaging performance throughout. Condon is also excellent as the ruthless villain despite the script not giving her much to work with other than her character being a violent criminal.
This lack of depth is an issue that permeates through the entire film. Every character is scarcely more than a two-dimensional cliché that ranges from Ciarán Hinds’ cheerful Garda officer to Finbar’s hot-headed younger colleague (Game of Thrones’ Jack Gleeson). While the minimalist premise works well for the genre and makes for enough entertaining moments to keep viewers invested, the bland character development takes away any substance that the script might have had. Additionally, this movie is toothless when it comes to its violence. Its restraint softens the gritty cowboy aesthetic and consequently culminates in a lacklustre final showdown.
With its simple but effective premise and solid performance from Neeson, In the Land of Saints and Sinners makes for an entertaining Irish-flavoured Western. However, its disappointing lack of depth and toned-down climax prevent it from becoming a truly great genre piece.
Andrew Murray
In the Land of Saints and Sinners does not have a release date yet.
Read more reviews from our Venice Film Festival 2023 coverage here.
For further information about the event visit the Venice Film Festival website here.
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