Another movie has arrived in theaters with a poster showing Liam Neeson holding a gun. There’s been quite a few of these over the years, but few quite as somber.
“Land of Saints and Sinners” is set in Ireland during the Troubles, but most of the movie takes place away from the conflict. Instead, the location is a coastal village where humble, friendly bookseller Finbar Murphy (Neeson) resides. What he hides from the town, though, is that he’s also an experienced hitman.
However, it’s part of his life he’s ready to be done with. That is until the conflict arrives in the village when a group of IRA members go there to lay low after a bombing. While there, one of them commits a crime against one of the residents, and, as he’s grown to love the village, Finbar decides to take action.
Neeson’s journey in action films for the last 15 years or so has been fairly average with a mix of ups and downs. However, once in a while, he does a project with a little more depth and intrigue, such as “The Grey” and “Cold Pursuit.” “In the Land of Saints and Sinners” can be added to that list as one of the richer experiences.
It’s a movie about a man who doesn’t live a particularly happy life and is largely full of regret and guilt for what he’s done over the years. In that sense, the picture is rather melancholy. Finbar, weighed by emotional baggage, spends much of the movie with a sadness that he masks with a friendly demeanor.
The small charming town, though, has given him a semblance of peace, and it gives him a strong motivation to protect it. There’s a debt of gratitude Finbar sees in the town and its residents for giving him a place where he can exist away from bloodshed, somewhat similar to the set-up of 2023’s “Equalizer 3.”
All of this gives more reason to be emotionally invested, and makes a person more engaged and aware of the suspense when violence takes place. This is also true because unlike other pictures in his filmography, Neeson’s character isn’t a retired super-spy. He’s managed as a contract killer who has combat experience from WWII, but he’s also an older man without elite skills.
It makes moments of action and confrontation much more grounded and tension-filled. Also making the film tension-filled is the work of Academy Award nominee Kerry Condon, who gives a chilling performance as the lead IRA member and main antagonist to Finbar. She is fantastic in the role, giving a multi-layered portrayal of a character that could have been one-dimensional.
Neeson, who has an Oscar nomination himself, is also quite good in his role. Again, he’s played many action characters in the last decade-plus, but this is more of a violent drama than a straight up action movie, and it shows. Neeson puts forward a charming, kind front, with a more tortured persona under the surface, and it works for what the film is going for.
Where the film falters a bit is in how things develop and what is delved into as the story unrolls. Regarding the former, there are a lot of plot conveniences that push the movie forward, and it takes away a bit from the immersion of what’s taking place. Additionally, while the film is set during the Troubles, it doesn’t say a whole lot about the conflict, and it’s treated more as a catalyst.
One just wishes the film was sharper in places. However, director Robert Lorenz, as well as writers Mark Michael McNally and Terry Loane, do enough to create a satisfying thriller with good characters, harrowing moments of violence and a village setting that will have an audience rooting for the protagonist to protect. 3.75 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 
Glad to hear there’s a recent movie of Neeson that’s actually good! His last few films got such terrible reviews, but this one looks good, plus there’s Kerry Condon!
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