The Saint
All actors and roles (10)
All team (54)
Short description
The Saint centres on Simon Templar, a career thief who adopts the names of Catholic saints as cover identities. His latest assignment, arranged through Russian interests, is to steal the formula for cold fusion from a scientist, Dr. Emma Russell. Templar's interest in his target complicates the job, while the client, the Russian businessman Ivan Tretiak, wants the technology for his own political ends. A British inspector, Teal, is meanwhile on Templar's trail. Some versions of the story tie Templar's origins to a harsh orphanage in Hong Kong.
Phillip Noyce directed the film, the seventh of sixteen he has directed in chronological order, following Clear and Present Danger and preceding The Bone Collector. The screenplay is by Jonathan Hensleigh and Wesley Strick, and the producers are Mace Neufeld, David Brown and Robert Evans. Val Kilmer plays Templar, with Elisabeth Shue as Emma Russell, Rade Šerbedžija as Ivan Tretiak, Henry Goodman as Dr. Lev Botvin, Alun Armstrong as Inspector Teal and Michael Byrne as Vereshagin. Thirty-three cast members and fifty-four crew members are credited.
Released in April 1997, the film runs 116 minutes and blends action, adventure, romance, science fiction and thriller elements across Russian and American settings. Made for around 68 million dollars, it took about 118 million dollars worldwide, a modest return against its cost. On IMDb it holds 6.2 out of 10 from 78,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.1 from 1,300 votes, while the critics' rating stands at 4.7 from 46 reviews, noticeably lower than the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Mel Gibson and Ralph Fiennes were considered for the leading role.
- The voice of the radio commentator belongs to Roger Moore, who played Simon Templar in the British television series of the 60s.
- Roger Moore was going to produce a film version of the television series "The Saint" back in the 80s, and Pierce Brosnan was considered for the lead role at that time.
- While filming in Oxford, the filmmakers closed the university's library to visitors, which caused outrage among students preparing for exams.
- Val Kilmer turned down the opportunity to reprise his role as Batman for this film.
- Hugh Grant was offered the lead role.
- Ralph Fiennes was offered $1 million for the lead role.
- In the early stages of the film's production, Sydney Pollack was the first candidate to direct.
- A Volvo P1800 car can be seen parked directly in front of The Saint's London apartment building. This type of car was used in the original 1960s series.
- The original Saint used aliases all starting with the initials S.T., while Kilmer's character used the names of Christian saints, regardless of their initials.
- Johnny Depp, Kevin Costner, and Arnold Schwarzenegger all turned down the role in the film.
- Berl Baer wrote a novella based on the film's screenplay.
- The tunnels of Fort Amherst, located in Medway, South-East England, were used during filming as Moscow collectors, where Templar and Russell hide.
- In scenes where Simon Templar (Val Kilmer) portrays the long-haired artist Thomas Moore, he speaks with a Cape Town accent. The poems of Moore featured in the film were written by Val Kilmer.
- At the end of the film, when Simon Templar is driving in a car and listening to a radio broadcast about three billion dollars donated to charity, the reflection of sunlight on the windshield creates a halo around Simon's head.
- Two different endings were filmed: in one, Emma Russell (Elizabeth Shue) remained alive, and in the other, she died. Despite test audiences preferring the latter ending, the film's director, Phillip Noyce, ultimately chose the former.
- The holy pin that Elizabeth Shaw gives to Val Kilmer's character is a reference to the original emblem of the television series.
- The song playing in the Russian apartment where Simon and Emma are hiding is a Turkmen song by Atabay Charygulyev.
- The Saint refrained from killing, even the main villains, who remained alive to face trial. The Charteris version of the Saint had no moments of hesitation in taking another life.
- Young Simon is left-handed, while older Simon is right-handed.
- When Emma enters Simon's house in England, she leaves the door wide open and continues into the room. In the subsequent scene, the door is closed.
- In the middle of the airport hall, Simon orders a cup of coffee, which is brought to him two seconds later by the same waitress.
- When Emma enters the house in the English countryside, she approaches a table where her cards are laid out. On the table is a 14-inch NEC CRT monitor, which is completely black. A few moments later, when Simon appears, the monitor is already gray with a black panel.
- When Ilya Tretyak (son of Ivan Tretyak) has Simon in his sights as he steals the microchip at the beginning of the film, it can be noticed that the revolver is not loaded.
- The nickname "Boris the Spider," used by Ivan Tretyak to communicate with The Saint, is a reference to a 1966 song by The Who.
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Кастинги в Україні
