Robert Lorenz’s stylish thriller dressed in Donegal hues seems to be holding a promising western narrative, with the likes of aged warriors Liam Neeson and Ciarán Hinds engrossing in intellectual conversation in a remote town – a scene ideal for any classic wild west fanatic.
Set in the turbulent era of 1974, amidst the Northern Ireland conflict, the movie ‘In the Land of Saints and Sinners’ unfortunately fails to maintain the aspirational mythical ambience, owing to constant real-world interferences. The storyline kicks off in Belfast with the chilling scene of Doireann McCann (Kerry Condon) and a group of accomplices setting off a deadly car bomb, taking lives of a woman and her two children. They subsequently resort to hiding in the serene coastal village of Glencolumbkille, that’s also home to McCann’s sister-in-law.
Simultaneously, war hero and part-time assassin Finbar Murphy, played by Neeson, seeks solace in the same village. Despite his intention to lead a quiet life and pondering on the idea of gardening, a revelation about Curtis (Desmond Eastwood) sexually mistreating a local girl prompts him to revisit his gun-toting past. This becomes yet another unanticipated twist in an already complicated narrative.
While the film introduces an array of intriguing characters like Colm Meaney portraying a local mobster, Niamh Cusack as Neeson’s desolate love interest, and Jack Gleeson as his apprentice, they are somewhat short-changed in terms of screen presence and character development.
The dialogue penned by Mark Michael McNally and Terry Loane provide an authentic touch, despite Condon’s dubious southern accent in her portrayal of the revenge-driven IRA woman. Despite captivating drone shots, the film tends to lose its impact in the midst of jumbled plotlines. ‘In the Land of Saints and Sinners’ can be streamed on Netflix.