The Saint, Val Kilmer’s spy heist through the Russian Federation, is out on 4K Steelbook!
The ‘90s were a weird time when it came to cinematic villains. After having the Russians play the dependable big bad for over 30 years, the fall of the Berlin Wall and our “reconciliation” essentially killed a cottage industry (killing commies) overnight. Who were we supposed to root against now? Sure, we still had dependable Nazi, but by the ‘90s they had shifted over to more of a dramatic villain, showing the horrors of the 20th century rather than just cannon fodder.
So, we tried on a few different ones for size. There was the Cartels, who popped up in Clear & Present Danger and Collateral Damage, but losing out on the “country vs. country” match-up was a no go. Then there was the IRA, who blew up the screen in Blown Away and Patriot Games, but America wasn’t ready for the Irish to be the enemy anytime soon. We had our dalliances elsewhere, like the Middle East with The Siege and True Lies, or African warlords in Tears Of The Sun, or former Soviet Satellite states like Peacemaker and Air Force One. But, we couldn’t just make any of those work out, you know?
So, why not just restart the USSR? That’s what The Saints plan is. The Saint follows master thief Simon Templar (Val Kilmer) as he is tasked with stealing the science behind cold fusion for a Russian Oligarch, Ivan (Rade Serbedzija). After wooing lead scientist Emma Russell (Elisabeth Shue) and stealing her data, Simon quickly finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy to overthrow the Russian Federation and re-establish the Soviet Union.
The Saint is a unique time capsule in that it wants to have its cake, and eat it, too; the Russians are once again the enemies here, sure, but there is also a concerted effort to show the new democracy as a promising beacon to the world, where a land once ruled with an iron fist can find its footing in its people. As such, there is a weird tone going on at all times, where you’re not fully sure who the villains actually are.
But, you can also attribute that same sort of weird tone to the overall film. The Saint is essentially just Val Kilmer doing Fletch, but without any of the humor and a lot more eye-rolling monologue about the importance of cold fusion. It was always these types of roles Kilmer faltered in; he was never supposed to be the suave leading man, always the eccentric weirdo secondary (see; Heat, Tombstone, Top Gun, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, MacGruber, I can do this all day).
Still, it is a very interesting time capsule that I can easily see someone being nostalgic about (remember when we had trouble coming up with people who hate America?). So, for those of you who want to travel back to those few years Russia wasn’t under despotic rule, check out The Saint (and its super sweet looking steelbook design) today!
