The Saint 1997
"I really liked the idea that he's a literary character. Simon Templar was a hero in more than 50 books, and that started in the '30s - that's amazing! There's something fundamentally entertaining about the character that remains interesting for that long. Then, the idea of this gentleman-thief, that the story of Simon Templar is a celebration of the individual, that he has no friends, no sidekicks, no boss, no home, no dog - he only has a pocketknife! I liked very much the whole idea that he's on his own. Another thing about The Saint I liked is the idea of a character-driven story. It's a very large canvas, that action-adventure genre, and you're supposed to be entertained by the things that are going on inside the mind of the Saint - his behaviour is interesting. Now that's very unusual, because most of the time that isn't what drives this kind of movie. Also, he doesn't carry a gun - I liked that very much. And going from a sinner to a saint, that's a real journey." ~Val Kilmer
Who is the Saint?
Story Based on the popular novels about that other suave, globe-trotting man of action, this genre picture from director Phillip Noyce mixed romance and character development with dangerous stunts, geopolitical intrigue, and a variety of elaborate disguises. Val Kilmer is Simon Templar, a classy, cunning master thief and "man of a thousand faces" who cribs his phony names from those of obscure saints and sells his illegal services to the highest bidder.
Hired by an ambitious Russian politician (Rade Serbedzija) to steal the formula for cold fusion, Templar falls in love with Dr. Emma Russell (Elisabeth Shue), the frail Oxford scientist who has unlocked the secret of the process. Back in Moscow, the thief debates whether to betray his new love or the powerful madman who is paying him millions, until he discovers that his client is concealing oil reserves that could save his freezing people.
Often seen as an also-ran to the legendary James Bond, Templar, the creation of author Leslie Charteris, in fact predated the first Bond novel by decades and probably inspired Ian Fleming in his creation of the debonair agent.
Cast Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue and Rade Serbedzija
FYI The poetry written by Simon Templar's long-haired artist character, Thomas More, was actually written by Kilmer himself. For more of Kilmer's poetry click here.
Our Two Cents This movie with Kilmer's multiple characters has long been a favorite of many fans. In fact many fans (including Sandi) will tell you that this is the movie that made them fans of Kilmer's work. Kilmer has been called a chameleon. There is no better example than this movie. And besides it's a lot of fun to watch.