"The Saint"

[sergebroom]

"Who are you?"
"Nobody has a clue. Least of all me."

Every once in a while, my wife and I pop in the DVD of 1997's "The Saint", which starred Val Kilmer and Elisabeth Shue. We both love that movie, but as far as we remember, it didn't do well with critics or with the public. Why, we don't know. Maybe people aren't interested in old-fashioned romantic adventures anymore.

Comments

[lenora-rose.livejournal.com]

My husband's another big fan of the movie; he said he'd watch it as a comfort film. I recall rather liking it when he showed me.

(Of course, his other frequent-rewatch movies are Spy Game, Stardust, and Hudson Hawk, all of which I like to some extent)

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

It's a very romantic story. So is 2006's "Casino Royale" - probably the only James Bond movie my wife actually liked.

As for the movies you mentionned, the only one I saw was "Stardust". My favorite part were the scenes with Robert de Niro, who played so much against type. (As for the 'real' de Niro... Did you know that, when he was a kid, his nickname was Bobby Milk? He was such a bookworm that he spent very little time outside.)

[lenora-rose.livejournal.com]

It is, that I do remember. A lot of it is about building trust, too, in circumstances wehre it should be impossible.

AS for Bobby Milk -- I can believe it. Yes, I think he's definitely one of the things to like in the movie (I also like that you can *see* how the story would look if it were written from the point of view of poor Bernard. Fabulous use of what would usually be a bit part.)

Hudson Hawk tanked because people thought it was a Bruce Willis Action movie and it's actually a quite deliberate comedy parody of same. (The voiceover narrator is the same one used in the old Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons. When they're driving down the coast you see the coast out both windows. They do capers as musical numbers!)

Audiences didn't know that, and seeing something so much against expectation can throw you off enough to not enjoy what you'd otherwise like.

A bit like me going to the Mummy having only seen a trailer that suggested it was atmospheric horror with a bit of action, and getting Indiana Jones Lite. I had to see it again, a while later, with the correct expectations, to discover I actually enjoyed it.

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

Fabulous use of what would usually be a bit part

The mark of a good actor.

As for Hudson Hawk, the Mummy, and misleading coming attractions... Every once in a while, I watch the ones for 2009's "Star Trek", trying to imagine the fantastic movie they promised instead of what we actually got. That being said, I didn't care much for "The Mummy" at first. I still don't care for Brendan Fraser, but the movie and its sequel grew on me and have become comfort popcorn cinema.

[coreolis.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed the heck out of that movie. On the other hand, I've also read the books I could get my hands on, seen the TV series... I just plain old enjoy 'The Saint'. Val did a totally respectable job as Simon.

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear. My only exposure to the Saint until then had been the Roger Moore TV series. Yes, that really dates me. I remember mentionning the movie to a Charteris fan soon after the movie came out and she absolutely hated it, but she eventually came around.