Featuring several of Ireland’s best actors, the film has been earning very good reviews.
The Land of Saints and Sinners, the movie that we’ve been calling ‘the Irish Avengers’ in the run-up to its release, has just landed on Netflix.
Boasting a plethora of Irish talent, the film is set in ’70s Ireland and follows Finbar Murphy (Liam Neeson) – a man eager to leave his dark past behind who leads a quiet life in the remote coastal town of Glencolmcille far from the political violence that grips the rest of the country.
“But when a menacing crew of terrorists arrive, led by a ruthless woman named Doireann (Kerry Condon), Finbar is drawn into an increasingly vicious game of cat and mouse, forcing him to choose between exposing his secret identity or defending his friends and neighbors,” the plot synopsis reads.
Alongside Oscar-nominees Condon and Neeson, the cast for the film also includes Ciarán Hinds (Belfast), Colm Meaney (The Snapper), Conor MacNeill (Industry), Desmond Eastwood (Normal People), Jack Gleeson (Game of Thrones), Niamh Cusack (Five Minutes of Heaven), Sarah Greene (Bad Sisters) and Seamus O’Hara (the Oscar-winning short An Irish Goodbye).
Speaking to Meaney at last year’s IFTAs, JOE asked the actor about In the Land of Saints and Sinners, making The Avengers comparison in the process.
Smiling at the observation, Meaney told us: “Very good script. It’s got Liam [Neeson], it’s got Kerry Condon – my favourite woman in the world. Ciarán Hinds. It’s a great cast and a great script, so yeah, fingers crossed. High hopes for it.”
In the Land of Saints and Sinners was directed by frequent Clint Eastwood collaborator Robert Lorenz, who previously worked with Neeson on the action drama The Marksman. Terry Loane (Mickybo and Me) and Mark Michael McNally penned its screenplay.
And the movie has been received very positively – holding at the time of writing an 81% score on Rotten Tomatoes – with Neeson’s performance, the supporting cast, the film’s setting and its emotional depth being singled out for praise.
You can read a sample of some of these positive reviews right here:
Austin Chronicle: “Neeson’s quietness doesn’t simply come across as tough guy silence. Instead, there’s a maudlin introspection that bears surprisingly meaningful fruit.”
Fort Worth Report: “Liam Neeson is at the top of his game in this neo-Western action thriller, which also features a terrific Kerry Condon as the baddie. The all-Irish cast and the Northern Ireland setting lend to the film’s authenticity.”
San Francisco Chronicle: “The acting, the setting and a feeling for the time period make In the Land of Saints and Sinners more than the usual action movie thrill ride, though it’s that too.”
Tribune News Service: “In the Neeson skills canon, In the Land of Saints and Sinners proves to be a gem, the performances elevating an enjoyably pulpy thriller.”
In the Land of Saints and Sinners is streaming on Netflix in Ireland and the UK. Check out its trailer right here:
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