It’s hard to believe how quaint this film feels 25 years later. For all the grim films of the 90s it’s easy to forget there were also very antiquated films in style and content like this and The Rocketeer. The action is all simple and Val Kilmer’s character of Simon Templar is basically Master of Disguise before that film existed. He plays dress up most of the movie and slips in and out of places doing freelance espionage thievery and along the way he bones and falls in love with the sort of attractive genius scientist who can only exist in a Hollywood film, played by Elisabeth Shue. It’s utterly inoffensive and has a certain charm to it, but it’s just an okay movie.
My mom really liked The Saint and watched it fairly often so I ended up watching it fairly often too. And I suppose the central romance angle is what drew her to the film. And it really is a romance film more than a Bond film ever has been, which just has a romantic interest for the film for the sake of damsel in distress and obligatory sex scene; one plus for this film is that it doesn’t rely on the damsel in distress trope like many action films do. And while that focus on romance makes The Saint stand out among the Bond and Bourne films, it also prevents it from being a compelling espionage thriller by taking a lot of time to develop the romance.
And it’s a shame because the espionage plot about political destabilization after the collapse of the Soviet Union and a manufactured energy crisis being used to set up a military coup so a billionaire oil tycoon can take power would be an extremely interesting story if that was the entire focus. The idea of cold fusion and the theoretical benefits is pretty before it’s time (though global warming was a thing back then too, it’s not what climate change is today) is an interesting plot device, as is the idea of using cheap, boundless, safe energy to either make a fortune or to assist mankind instead of profiting (a moral dilemma the film really sidesteps).
In terms of the cast, Kilmer and Shue are totally fine. They have enough chemistry to make their romance is believable enough. Kilmer’s character is too guarded in other identities and mystery to really connect with me. The only real issue I have with Kilmer is that while he’s pretty good with the voices and mannerisms for his different identities, his face is just too distinct to believably disappear into these characters…but the film has just enough of a tongue-in-cheek approach to mitigate that. Shue fares better. She’s believable in her role as a genius scientist if only because she portrays Dr. Russell as incredibly passionate and confident enough we can buy it. Plus she isn't entirely helpless, which just drags a film like this down.
I’ve always been a fan of Rade Serbedzija as Eastern European/Russian Villain Man, sometimes Scientist Man, notably as Dimitri Gredenko in the otherwise weak Season 6 of 24, and he does a fine job as the villain who both admires Simon’s brazenness and skills while also knowing he has to kill him. His look makes it very easy to buy him in a role such as this.
All in all, this was a film I really, really liked as a kid and it sadly does not hold up well with more experienced eyes. Despite its undeniable charm, it is a pretty underwhelming film. It lacks the action of the Bond and Bourne films and the cheesiness of other 90s flicks like The Phantom and The Shadow that make them fun to watch. I liked watching it, but not to the extent that I’d hoped. It’s an okay, right down the middle film that’s worth a watch. It has clear strengths and weaknesses. Its biggest weaknesses are that the action sequences are pretty sterile and dull and the espionage plot isn’t near as captivating as it could be due to the romance. But if you are really into romance stuff then you’ll probably enjoy The Saint more than I did.
And I also don’t find Elisabeth Shue as attractive now as I did in the 90s and early 2000s, which is a further disappointment.