Around this time every year, the movie-going world expects the release of another Liam Neeson film. This yearly movie tradition has been going on ever since the release of the outstanding film “Taken”, which came out in 2008 and is one of the best action movies of its kind, ever produced. The fact that Taken was so perfect for Neeson and has not happened again, is all about how difficult it is to write a great screenplay and then have it performed by the exact right lead actor.
The next two Taken sequels were nowhere near the exceptional quality of the original with the last version a bad film. Since then, Neeson has followed with movies that were mostly average with a few that were bad and some that were bordering on good. Neeson’s latest movie “In the Land of Saints and Sinners” is a good, but nowhere near a great film, but hopefully a step in the right direction.
The story is all about the violence, murder, and retribution in the 1970s by the IRA (Irish Republican Army) in the country of Ireland. This story starts with the accidental murder of young children during the bombing of a local bar and what follows is a series of revenge killings by the main character Finbar Murphy, played by Liam Neeson. The problem with the middle part of the story is that most of it is too slow and boring, making it hard to stay focused on what is happening. There is a major conflict with the original bombers that killed two children at the beginning of the film, leading to a shootout at a bar at the end of this story that I thought was well shot. Other than all of this there is nothing new or innovative within these two hours.
The Rotten Tomatoes rating is a routine 80%, with my rating only 70% and a very marginal recommendation.
A Screenwriters Perspective: Current and Past Movies. 