IN THE LAND OF SAINTS AND SINNERS

 

Jeri Jacquin

Currently playing in theatres from director Robert Lorenz and Samuel Goldwyn Films is the story of a fight for a small town in THE LAND OF SAINTS AND SINNERS.   

It is Northern Ireland in 1974 and in Belfast, Doirean (Kerry Condon), brother Curtis (Desmond Eastwood), Conan (Conor MacNeill) and Seamus (Seamus O’Hara) have killed their target but also killed innocent children. Eager to leave his own killer past behind, Finbar Murphy (Liam Neeson) has found some solace in the coastal town of Glencolmcille.

Informing Robert McQue (Colm Meaney) of his retirement, Finbar is taking time to befriend neighbor Rita (Niamh Cusack), hanging out with police friend Vincent (Ciaran Hinds) and young one Moya (Michelle Gleeson). Quickly discovering that Moya is being hurt, he tries to talk with mom Sinead (Sarah Greene) but realizes this is something he is going to have to handle.

Discovering it is Curtis that Moya is afraid of, Finbar turns to McQue who says no but secretly sends his newest apprentice Kevin Lynch (Jack Gleeson) to keep an eye on him. Doirean begins to search for Curtis and turns to the McQue for answers. When she doesn’t like what he has to say, Doirean enlists Conan and Seamus on a revenge spree until she finds the one man she is looking for – Finbar Murphy!

Neeson as Murphy once again takes the reigns as a man, who the local towns people thinks buys and sells books, who has secrets to keep. As he gets older, the questions of how he wants to spend the rest of his life come into play. Once retiring, he turns to his friendships, books and the town for a bit of peace in his life. Neeson comes head-to-head with bad guys and isn’t about to let the town pay for his mistakes. I enjoyed this character very much, perhaps because it is in Ireland where part of my heart lies, or perhaps all the Irish accents – no matter, it is a very cool film with Neeson running the show.

Condon as Doirean is a woman that has no issue with telling it like it is going to be, punching or shooting anyone that gets in her way. Believing she is fighting for Ireland, that all comes to a standstill when her family is being threatened. I will be totally honest when I saw that Condon’s character was frightening as she spoke with a straight face and never became shook up at any point in the story. I mean my jaw dropped but there Condon was, all in it and all about it – truly scary.

Hinds as Vincent plays off Neeson’s character as if they had been friends all their lives. When these two legends are on the screen, it made me wish they would do more together because they are equally stunning. As Vincent, Hinds is a man who loves the town he protects but doesn’t know everything he should.

Gleeson as Kevin, oh my goodness what can I say! First of all, those eyes, it is a dead giveaway who this young actor is no matter how much he tried to change it up. That being said, he is absolutely nuts but in a way that just gave this character everything believable to follow along with Kevin’s own journey.

Eastwood as Curtis is a young man who thinks that he is entitled to do anything because big sister will protect him. MacNeill as Conan is the muscle that will do what it takes to get the job done but flinches occasionally. O’Hara is a weapons maker and it always kind of makes me shake my head when a creator comes face to face with his creations.

Cusak as Rita is the sweet neighbor lady who is dealing with her own life issues, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have time for her friend Finbar. Meany as McQue runs his little death business and manages to keep it low-key but low-key doesn’t always mean protected from crazy people. Gleeson as Moya is so sweet and finds friendship with Finbar, Greene as Sinead is trying to be a good Mom doing the best she can.

Samuel Goldwyn Films is a major, independent motion-picture company distrubting such films as ANOTHER ROUND, THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS SKIN, LUNANA: A Yak in the Classroom and the upcoming film SIMONE: Woman of the Century, KLONDIKE and BANK OF DAVE.

Facing East is a production company formed in 2016 by Markus Barmettler and Philip Lee. The veteran duo boasts over twenty productions between them including THE REVENANT, CLOUD ATLAS, HERO, CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON, PURPLE MOUNTAIN AND DER HAUPTMAN. They are currently in collaboration with London Town Films THE UNTITLED PETER GREENAWAY and Michael Gracey’s BETTER MAN.

First, I must say, the lush green, beautiful ocean and small town portrayed in the film IN THE LAND OF SINNERS AND SAINTS just drew me in completely. I actually enjoy films that take a break from the norm of loudness in film. Here, it is a chance to get to know these characters and understand the motivation for each of them. This era is a time when Ireland was going through its paces and bombings were happening frequently.

The underlying story is that of a man who is coming into an age of questioning mortality and wanting a simpler life. Unfortunately, as per Neeson’s roles, Murphy doesn’t get to stay in retirement more than a day before things begin to unravel around him. It is a twist and turn of events, and the twist and turn of people that bring about the chaos that Murphy is determined to put a stop to.

Neeson, Hinds and Gleeson, along with the steely stares of Condon that make this film well done!

In the end – he is haunted by sins and hunted by sinners!

THE MARKSMAN

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray, DVD and Digital from director Robert Lorenz and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is the tale of THE MARKSMAN.

Jim (Liam Neeson) is a rancher who lives on the Arizona/Mexico border raising cattle. The land has been rough, and he is still reeling from the death of his wife. Keeping an eye on Jim is Sarah (Katheryn Winnick) who sees how everything is affecting him. She also is a border agent and Jim calls when he sees immigrant cross the fence or finds someone in trouble.

In Mexico lives young man Miguel (Jacob Perez) who lives with Mom Rosa (Teresa Ruiz). They receive a telephone call from an uncle telling them to run as far away as possible. It seems the cartel is not happy and want to make an example of the family. Thinking they were going to make it; Miguel and Rosa are spotted by the cartel led by Mauricio (Juan Pablo Raba).

Managing to get across the border, that is not going to stop Mauricio and Jim finds himself involved in a shootout. Rosa convinces Jim to help them get to family in Chicago and after seeing what Mauricio is capable of, he agrees. The one who is the least happy about the situation is Sarah, especially after she discovers how vicious Mauricio is.

There is no time to think, and Jim knows he must stay one step ahead of the cartel if they are all going to make it out alive.

Neeson as Jim once again puts in the performance of a man who does not take anything from anybody. He makes it plain from the get-go that Mauricio does not scare him in the slightest. Knowing his way around weapons is what is keeping them alive. So, Neeson gives us his certain set of skills once again to protect a young angry boy. What I love about these roles is that he certainly takes his fair share of punches as one would expect which gives his characters realism in a sense. Calm, cool, collected and having a plan is the way Jim plays it.

Perez as Miguel is an angry young man that just wants to go home, except home is not where he left it. Not knowing how to trust Jim, I think the dog Jackson breaks the ice. Miguel seems a capable young man and proves it when his protector takes to drink. Perez is a young actor who plays his role with believability and smarts.

Raba as Mauricio is one cold hearted individual and that is what makes getting away imperative. This character has no problem it seems taking out one person after another, even if they give him what he wants. Creepy and scary at the same time and Raba gives us the look of a man on a mission who will never stop – ever.

Winnick as Sarah has a history with Jim and wants him to stay safe. Knowing that he tries to do the right thing, she wants him safe and the farther away he gets, the less she can keep him that way. Its good to see Winnick on screen again even though she will always be Lagatha to me!

Other cast include: Alfredo Quiroz as Carlos, Sean Rosales as Hernando, Jose Vasquez as Isidro, Antonio Leyba as Rigo, Dylan Kenin as Randall and Luce Rains as Everett.

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us to all experience and re-experience in our own home theaters. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.

The Bonus Features of THE MARKSMAN include The Making of THE MARKSMAN.

Let us be honest with one another, anything that has Liam Neeson in it I am going to watch and love. In recent years he has truly brought some memorable roles to the screen and shown Hollywood that stellar performances can come at any time in one’s life.

His choice in roles has one thing that stands out, the person he is portraying is just trying to be a good person and live within the world of his own making. It is only when someone comes along and tries to mess with that does Neeson’s characters shrug and say, “okay…if you want to play, lets play”.

It is weird to say but when that happens, I find myself shrugging my own shoulders saying out loud to the screen, ‘dude, you asked for it’. A line is drawn and, in THE MARKSMAN, that line was clear, especially when dealing with crazy.

In the end – justice comes down to him!