Tribute or Travesty?: The Saint

Now that looks familiar...
Sixties adventures TV series-cum-90s star vehicle (The Fugitive, 1993; Maverick, 1944; Mission: Impossible, 1996). Heroic thief gets mixed up in superpower-level conspiracy (Hudson Hawk, 1991; Absolute Power, 1997). Hero is master of computer hackery (Mission: Impossible). Hero disguises himself as villain (Mission: Impossible). Val Kilmer wears tight black suit and uses gadgets (Batman Forever, 1995). Glamorous actress is supposed to be gawky science nerd (The Net, 1995). Death of first girlfriend makes hero emotionally unapproachable (Young Sherlock Holmes, 1985) but the right woman makes him abandon his lady-killing ways (Bram Stoker's Dracula, 1992).

Villains are after revolutionary new power source that will change the world (The Man in the White Suit, 1951; Chain Reaction, 1996). Appearance by star of original TV show (The Beverly Hillbillies, 1993; Maverick, 1994; The Brady Bunch Movie, 1995).

Missing ingredients...
There's no credit for author Leslie Charteris (creator of The Saint in 1928), no animated halo appearing over the hero's head, no gruesome deaths for the main villains, no irony, suavity, English accents or charm.

The verdict - Travesty
As an update of the much-loved character, The Saint doesn't earn its halo. If a heartfelt tribute to the film of Mission: Impossible, it's an impeccable recreation of the original, if a bit on the premature side.
KIM NEWMAN

First Published In: Empire no.97 [July 1997] p.24

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