There Are No Saints
| There Are No Saints | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Alfonso Pineda Ulloa |
| Written by | Paul Schrader |
| Produced by | Santiago Garcia Galvan Alex García Jose Martinez Jr. |
| Starring | José María Yazpik Paz Vega Shannyn Sossamon Neal McDonough Ron Perlman Tim Roth |
| Cinematography | Mateo Londono |
| Edited by | Dan Lebental |
| Music by | Heitor Pereira |
Production companies | Itaca Films Latam Pictures Open Window Productions BN Films |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures Saban Films |
Release date |
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| Countries | United States Mexico |
| Language | English |
There Are No Saints is a 2022 Mexican-American action thriller film directed by Alfonso Pineda Ulloa, written by Paul Schrader, and starring José María Yazpik, Paz Vega, Ron Perlman and Tim Roth.
Premise
[edit]The Jesuit, a former gang enforcer who has been wrongly imprisoned, seeks revenge after his ex-wife is murdered by her vicious new husband, who kidnaps his son and takes to Mexico. Joined by a stripper named Inez, he embarks on a quest to get his son back and avenge his fallen life.
Cast
[edit]- José María Yazpik as Neto Niente
- Ron Perlman as Sans
- Shannyn Sossamon as Inez
- Paz Vega as Nadia
- Tim Roth as Carl Abrahams
- Keidrich Sellati as Julio Niente
- Neal McDonough as Vincent
- Tommy Flanagan as Jet Rink
Production
[edit]The project, originally titled The Jesuit, was first announced in 2010 with Paul Schrader also directing. Willem Dafoe, Michelle Rodriguez, Paz Vega and Manolo Cardona were set to star.[1] In 2012, Alfonso Pineda Ulloa replaced Schrader as a director and some actors were replaced.[2] The film has been completed since 2014.[3]
Release
[edit]The film was released in theaters and on VOD on May 27, 2022.[4]
Reception
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 26% of 27 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "There Are No Saints, and the number of reasons to watch this shoddy, mean-spirited action thriller is also perilously close to zero."[5] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 30 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[6]
Mark Hanson of Slant Magazine awarded the film two and a half stars out of four and wrote, "At its best, Alfonso Pineda Ulloa's film gleefully embodies the grungy spirit of classic exploitation cinema."[7]
Julian Roman of MovieWeb gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Famed screenwriter Paul Schrader goes ultra gritty in a bloody actioner that savages the innocent. [...] The narrative suffers from generic action tropes; but gets a pass for its brutal characters and willingness to defy convention."[8]
Josh Bell of Comic Book Resources gave the film a negative review and wrote that it's "full of the hallmarks of a movie that's been extensively retooled in post-production..."[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Panasiewicz, Kevin (November 8, 2010). "Maya Entertainment Picks Up Paul Schrader's THE JESUIT; Official Synopsis Released". Collider.com. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ Newman, Nick (October 24, 2012). "Paul Schrader Screenplay 'The Jesuit' Finds Director and Cast". thefilmstage.com. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ Hopewell, John (October 4, 2014). "Ron Perlman Added to Alex Garcia's 'The Jesuit' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.com. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ Massoto, Erick (April 5, 2022). "Exclusive: 'There Are No Saints' Trailer Reveals a Gritty Tale of Love and Vengeance". Collider. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
- ^ "There Are No Saints". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- ^ "There Are No Saints". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ Hanson, Mark (May 23, 2022). "There Are No Saints Review: A Messy, Intoxicating Shot of B-Movie Adrenaline". Slant Magazine. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ^ Roman, Julian (May 26, 2022). "There Are No Saints Review: Paul Schrader's Gruesome Actioner Hits Hard". MovieWeb. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ^ Bell, Josh (May 24, 2022). "REVIEW: Delayed Thriller There Are No Saints Delivers Action With Little Context". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 27, 2022.