The Saint (1997 film)

The Saint is a 1997 American action thriller film directed by Phillip Noyce, written by Jonathan Hensleigh and Wesley Strick, and starring Val Kilmer in the title role, with Elisabeth Shue and Rade Šerbedžija.At the Saint Ignatius Orphanage, a rebellious boy named John Rossi refers to himself as "Simon Templar" and leads fellow orphans in an attempt to run away.Planting a listening device in Tretiak's office, Simon learns he plans to sell the incomplete formula to Karpov and frame him for wasting billions on useless technology, then use the political fallout to install himself as president.Driving away, he hears a news broadcast that $3 billion was donated to the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and the United Nations Children's Fund; it is implied that Simon, who had access to Tretiak's accounts, gave the money anonymously and established a non-profit foundation led by Dr. Botvin to develop the cold-fusion technology.Film adaptations of Leslie Charteris's anti-hero Simon Templar (The Saint) date back to the late 1930s when RKO Radio Pictures launched a popular series of B movies with a succession of different actors playing the lead role.In the mid-1980s, tabloid gossip newspapers such as the National Enquirer reported that Moore was planning to produce a new Saint movie, with Pierce Brosnan (then known for playing the Templar-influenced character Remington Steele on TV and later of James Bond fame) being considered for the role, though nothing came of this project.A few years later, Paramount Pictures' attempt to make a film of The Saint started with the powerhouse above-the-line team of Robert Evans as producer, Steven Zaillian as writer and Sydney Pollack as director.A new story was commissioned from Jonathan Hensleigh (Die Hard with a Vengeance), which cast Simon Templar as a mercenary hired by a billionaire Russian oil and gas tycoon to steal the secret of cold fusion from an eccentric but beautiful American scientist.Along with Grant, Kenneth Branagh, Mel Gibson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Christian Slater, George Clooney, Kevin Costner, Johnny Depp, and Daniel Day-Lewis all refused the role.Val Kilmer was cast after declining to reprise the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne in Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin and the script was rewritten by Wesley Strick to suit his style.Unusually for an action star of the time (as in heroes played by Steven Seagal, Bruce Willis or Mel Gibson), this Saint refrained from killing and even the main villains live to stand trial.Simon battles Ilya on the stairwell as Russian tanks pound the mansion walls, exposing and setting fire to the vast stockpile of heating oil in the basement.In the end the producers decided to cut Emma's death scene and Templar's battle with Ilya, inserted footage of the Tretiaks being arrested and filmed a new epilogue at Oxford.
Phillip NoyceJonathan HensleighWesley StrickSimon TemplarLeslie CharterisDavid BrownRobert EvansWilliam J. MacdonaldMace NeufeldVal KilmerElisabeth ShueRade ŠerbedžijaPhil MeheuxTerry RawlingsGraeme RevellRysher EntertainmentMace Neufeld ProductionsParamount Picturesaction thriller filmhigh-techseriesHollywoodradio seriesVincent PriceBritishtelevision seriesRoger MooreIan OgilvySaint IgnatiusJohn RossiCatholic saintsCommunist PartyRussian Presidentcold fusionelectrochemistOxfordThomas Moreone-night standScotland YardKremlinRed SquareRed CrossSalvation ArmyUnited Nations Children's FundValery NikolaevHenry GoodmanAlun ArmstrongInspector TealMichael ByrneYevgeni LazarevIrina ApeksimovaLev PrygunovCharlotte CornwellTommy FlanaganDavid SchneiderWilliam HopeEmily MortimerRKO Radio PicturesB moviesThe SaintReturn of the SaintAndrew ClarkeUnited KingdomCanadaFranceWest GermanyAustraliaSimon DuttonNational EnquirerPierce BrosnanRemington SteeleJames BondBurl Barerabove-the-lineSteven ZaillianSydney PollackRalph FiennesSchindler's ListQuiz ShowPremièrescreenplaySwiss banksDriving Miss DaisyDie Hard with a VengeanceWashington, D.C.Upstate New YorkSt. PetersburgMoscowSet piecesRobert S. BakerDes O'ConnorHugh GrantKenneth BranaghMel GibsonArnold SchwarzeneggerChristian SlaterGeorge ClooneyKevin CostnerJohnny DeppDaniel Day-LewisBatmanBruce WayneJoel SchumacherBatman & RobinLondonSteven SeagalBruce WillisRussian ArmynovelizationVolvo C70Volvo P1800Fort AmherstThe Saint (novel)The Saint (soundtrack)Out of My MindDuran Duran6 UndergroundSneaker PimpssinglesThe Saint: Music from the Motion Picture SoundtrackelectronicaOrbitalLuscious JacksonThe Chemical BrothersUnderworldDaft PunkDavid BowieDreadzoneDuncan SheikEverything but the GirlRotten TomatoesMetacriticCinemaScoreSan Francisco ChronicleLeaving Las VegasGoldenEyeTodd McCarthyVarietySiskel & EbertGene SiskelNutty SaintLorenzo di BonaventuraDexter FletcherRocketmanSeth Grahame-SmithRegé-Jean PageKwame Kwei-ArmahDoug LimanBarer, BurlPaperbackPocket BooksBox Office MojoMcCarthy, ToddEbert, RogerSiskel, GeneThe Hollywood ReporterDeadline HollywoodTCM Movie DatabaseAFI Catalog of Feature FilmsBackroadsNewsfrontHeatwaveEchoes of ParadiseDead CalmBlind FuryPatriot GamesSliverClear and Present DangerThe Bone CollectorRabbit-Proof FenceThe Quiet AmericanCatch a FireMary and MarthaThe GiverAbove SuspicionThe Desperate HourFast CharlieThe Saint (Simon Templar)Patricia HolmClaud Eustace TealMeet the TigerEnter the SaintThe Last HeroKnight TemplarFeaturing the SaintAlias the SaintWanted for MurderShe Was a LadyThe Holy TerrorGetawayOnce More the SaintThe Brighter BuccaneerThe Misfortunes of Mr. TealBoodleThe Saint Goes OnThe Saint in New YorkSaint OverboardThe Ace of KnavesThieves' PicnicPrelude for WarFollow the SaintThe Happy HighwaymanThe Saint in MiamiThe Saint Goes WestThe Saint Steps InThe Saint on GuardThe Saint Sees it ThroughCall for the SaintSaint ErrantThe Saint in EuropeThe Saint on the Spanish MainThe Saint Around the WorldThanks to the SaintSeñor SaintThe Saint to the RescueTrust the SaintThe Saint in the SunVendetta for the SaintThe Saint on TVThe Saint ReturnsThe Saint and the Fiction MakersThe Saint AbroadThe Saint in PursuitThe Saint and the People ImportersCatch the SaintThe Saint and the Hapsburg NecklaceSend for the SaintThe Saint in TroubleThe Saint and the Templar TreasureCount On the SaintSalvage for the SaintThe Saint (film novelization)Capture the SaintThe Saint's Second FrontBet on the SaintThe Saint's LadyThe Saint Strikes BackThe Saint in LondonThe Saint's Double TroubleThe Saint Takes OverThe Saint in Palm SpringsThe Saint's VacationThe Saint Meets the TigerThe Saint's ReturnLe Saint mène la danseLe Saint prend l'affûtThe Fiction MakersThe Saint and the Brave GooseThe Saint in ManhattanFear in Fun ParkThe Saint (radio program)The Saint (TV series)episodestheme musicVicious CircleDaredevilS.W.O.R.D.Hirondel