To preface this review I have to say that I never saw the TV show or anything else related to The Saint. I did not read up on the concept before seeing the movie and so if the purist Saint fans are out there breathing heavily because I did not have a problem with this movie, well, that is my excuse.

Val Kilmer is really perfectly suited for this role - his mimicry and acting abilities come to a perfect peak playing a surprisingly fallible badass who happens to have an astounding array of wigs and disguise materials. His liver lipped goober persona is so far from his manliness-oozing Thomas Moore persona that it's truly amazing. When I say manliness-oozing I am not speaking out of some lusty haze for Val Kilmer - I am immune to his charms but when he assumes his artist persona you practically smell sex right through the screen. Val idolizers will eat it up.

He has suspiciously hot chemistry with Elisabeth Shue (you know, Oscar Winner Elisabeth Shue) and an amazing Apple PowerBook which not only has a NotePad to die for, but it boots right up in seconds! The Saint has an interesting story, interesting situations, and it's definitely worth seeing, it just didn't blow my socks off.

Apparently the ending was drastically different (and maybe this is what all the Saint fans are complaining about) before a TON of reshoots but I don't think the movie would have gained anything another way. You'll know what I mean. My nitpicky thing? His little pocketknife/swiss army killing machine dealie. It is dealt with like it is the only thing he keeps from his youth (though this is never mentioned) but it seems so over the top James Bondy after a while I wanted him to use it even more - as a remote control, a fold-up car, a condom dispenser...but it certainly doesn't detract from the movie.

Great locations and spiffy but low key action sequences, and Shue makes it all human without being The Dame. A bizarre and *almost* intrusive rock soundtrack pervades the action - and I don't mean they are rocking to songs, I mean a rock-composed pumping club mix score which, after being inundated with John Williams, Danny Elfman, and Carter Burwell music all year, well, it seemed funky. But it didn't bother me, it just had a whiff of MTV to it. Only a whiff.

Great locations and spiffy but low key action sequences, and Shue makes it all human without being The Dame. A bizarre and *almost* intrusive rock soundtrack pervades the action - and I don't mean they are rocking to songs, I mean a rock-composed pumping club mix score which, after being inundated with John Williams, Danny Elfman, and Carter Burwell music all year, well, it seemed funky. But it didn't bother me, it just had a whiff of MTV to it. Only a whiff.

I say, go to cheap night or a matinee and you will feel great - full price won't kill you but so many others are more worthy. karina