'In the Land of Saints and Sinners': Cowboy spirit in Donegal

LIAM Neeson finds a bit of career from with this Irish-produced action thriller from director Robert Lorenz, known for his long-time work with Clint Eastwood.

Neeson has been treading water a little bit with his recent output. Middling thrillers such as Blacklight and Retribution have all riffed on the tried and tested Taken formula and found little success as a result.

Neeson’s latest effort however bucks the worrying trend, delivering a taut and well-acted period action movie, with considerably more to offer than a great deal of the star’s recent work.

It’s been a while since Neeson appeared in a movie that was truly memorable but this new offering will likely prove a pleasant surprise for audiences expecting just more of the same.

Neeson stars as Finbar Murphy, an aging hitman operating in County Donegal in the 1970s. Masquerading as a book dealer, he is on good terms with the local community, including Garda officer O’Shea (Ciarán Hinds) and next door neighbour Rita (Niamh Cusack).

Just as he is about to hang up his shotgun for good, he decides to do one final job and makes it personal.

Finbar elects to dispose of a disreputable man visiting from Belfast, after he discovers the man has been abusing a local girl.

What Finbar doesn’t realise is the man was part of a Provisional IRA cell. Led by a ruthless woman named Doireann (Kerry Condon), she and her underlings are laying low after a bomb attack gone wrong.

After discovering Finbar’s involvement in the death of their associate, the cell comes after him.

They erroneously assume Finbar had been hired to kill their ally, escalating the situation even further.

Finbar realises that in order to protect his friends and neighbours from these sinister interlopers, he will have to put his particular set of skills to the test one final time.

Neeson and Lorenz previously worked together on 2021’s The Marksman, an exceptionally dull would-be thriller set on the US-Mexico border. In the Land of Saints and Sinners is a marked step up from that.

Though the basic bones of the story here could fit into many other Neeson vehicles, the location and gritty tone of this movie works to its advantage.

The moody setting of a Troubles-ravaged Ireland, coupled with the beautiful Donegal scenery, give this the feel of a tough, old-school Western that just happens to be set on the other side of the Atlantic.

Neeson’s character is essentially the marshal; coolly staring down the threat of bandits who do his people harm. The action though sparse, is brutally effective, particularly the shootout in the finale.

Strong performances ensure that the cast are not upstaged by the spectacular scenery.

Neeson, clearly relishing the chance to play a more nuanced character than usual (despite similarities to his ubiquitous tough guy roles); he delivers his best performance in quite some time.

The supporting cast does well too. Condon, no stranger to villainous roles after Breaking Bad, is on form as the cold-blooded, bullying paramilitary villain. Hinds and Cusack despite limited screen time, make the most of their roles.

Jack Gleeson is excellent as younger upstart hired gun, while Colm Meaney also makes an appearance.

A well-acted and aesthetically pleasing action flick, In the Land of Saints Sinners is a blessing for Neeson’s career.

RATING: ****

Matthew McCaul