The Saint (1997)

Simon Templar (The Saint), is a thief for hire, whose latest job to steal the secret process for cold fusion puts him at odds with a traitor bent on toppling the Russian government, as well as the woman who holds its secret.

Director:

Phillip Noyce

Writers:

Leslie Charteris (character), Jonathan Hensleigh (story)

Stars:

Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue, Rade Serbedzija

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Val Kilmer	...	Simon Templar
Elisabeth Shue	...	Dr. Emma Russell
Rade Serbedzija	...	Ivan Tretiak
Valeriy Nikolaev	...	Ilya Tretiak (as Valery Nikolaev)
Henry Goodman	...	Dr. Lev Botvin
Alun Armstrong	...	Inspector Teal
Michael Byrne	...	Vereshagin, Tretiak's Aide
Evgeniy Lazarev	...	President Karpov (as Evgeny Lazarev)
Irina Apeksimova	...	Frankie (as Irina Apeximova)
Lev Prygunov	...	General Sklarov (as Lev Prigunov)
Charlotte Cornwell	...	Inspector Rabineau
Emily Mortimer	...	Woman on Plane
Lucija Serbedzija	...	Russian Prostitute
Velibor Topic	...	Skinhead
Tommy Flanagan	...	Scarface

Storyline

Simon Templar has no real family, no real home, and Simon Templar isn't even his real name. Yet, Simon Templar, also known as the Saint for his use of creating false identities using the names of Catholic saints, is one of the world's most successful thieves. Slick, debonair, and a master of disguise, Simon manages to outwit the police again and again. On his next job, he is hired by the Russian Mafia to steal a cold fusion energy formula from scientist Emma Russel. However, the mission backfires as he falls for the pretty, intelligent scientist. Simon and his new love must now manage to outwit the Russian Mafia and work out the energy formula before the worst happens, and the U.S. is affected forever.

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Plot Keywords:

knights templar | russophobia | propaganda | cranberry | cold fusion | 

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Taglines:

A man without a name, can never be identified. A man who doesn't exist, can never be caught. A man who doesn't love, can never truly be alive

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for action violence, brief strong language, some sensuality and drug content

Details

Official Sites:

Paramount Pictures

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

4 April 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

El Santo

Filming Locations:

Moscow, Russia

Box Office

Budget:

$68,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,278,873, 6 April 1997, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$61,363,304, 31 December 1997

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$108,060,970

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Rysher Entertainment, Mace Neufeld Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The car driven by Simon is a Volvo C70, the only coupe from Volvo in 1997, like the Volvo coupe P1800 from the original series.

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Goofs

When Emma and Simon meet in England (after Moscow), there is a flipped shot where Simon's mole and Emma's scar swap sides on their faces.

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Quotes

Simon: So you know the way to the embassy?
Frankie: [eyeing Simon's watch] Like the face of a Bvlgary Chronograph.
[Simon removes his watch and hands it to Frankie]
Frankie: I remember! This way...

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Crazy Credits

In Loving Memory Elisabeth Leustig (She was the film's Casting Director who was tragically killed in a car accident on a Moscow street during production.)

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Alternate Versions

UK versions are cut by the BBFC with a minor edit to a shot in a nightclub where Tretiak is seen to visibly snort a line of cocaine on a mirror.

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Connections

Referenced in Transformers: Dark of the Moon - 35mm Special (2011)

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Soundtracks

6 Underground (Nellee Hooper Edit)
by Liam Howe (as Liam Coverdale-Howe), Chris Corner and Ian Pickering
Performed by Sneaker Pimps
Courtesy of Clean Up Records/Virgin Records Ltd.
Embodies portions from "Golden Girl" by John Barry
Performed by John Barry
Under license from EMI Records

User Reviews

Pleasantly surprised

Maybe my expectations were too low going in after reading a slue of terrible reviews, but I thought it was a good solid movie and very entertaining. Val Kilmer was great in his disguises and rolls. Elisabeth Shue was attractive as ever and played her part well. The movie kept on a continual pace, and kept the action and suspense throughout. There were a few things I thought were lame and it got a little unrealistic at times, but all in all it was a good solid movie. Maybe even a good action / romance date movie. If you haven't seen it (as I hadn't until today), give it a try. It has action, suspense, romance, and a little comedy thrown in for good measure. It runs in at just about 2 hours long, so long enough to get a good plot, some twists & turns and yet not bore you. There will always be people that pick plot holes in movies and just love proving that it's road kill. If you're one of those people, maybe you should stay away, but if you want a good entertaining popcorn movie it's worth a watch.