The Saint (1997)

I was apprehensive about watching a 2 hour film whose misleading trailer seemed to offer a dull plot and gushy romance, but The Saint was a pleasant surprise full of delight, charm and quality.

I liked the plethora of disguises the titular character plays hot potato with, an enigmatic and troubled character brought to life by Val Kilmer, who could've done so much more with Batman as his talents are evident in this film.

No nonsense Russian villains, especially Ilya (Valeri Nikolayev) fuel the suspense while the scenery invites the viewer into a cat-and-mouse caper whose biggest punch comes from the question of "how will 'the saint' outsmart his enemies?" Meanwhile, the dull progress of the villain's endgame is appropriately left in the background.

Elisabeth Shue is delightful as ever in a gentle, fragile and sweet role. The obligatory romance isn't gushy despite being fanciful. It is held together by a subtle focus on emotional yearning that binds the core themes together. Everyone needs to have their needs fulfilled, yet their coy nature seeks to deprive them of it while their lives become something completely different. The film could've gone further down this emotional route, but favored action and feelgood cliches instead.

Overall, it was hasty in some places but nonetheless fine and well worth the duration.