In the Land of Saints and Sinners” (2023) is available and accessible on Amazon Prime, takes us to a familiar scene Northern Irish in the midst of “the Troubles,” 1960s from 1960s to 1998. Since I gave the background to this time period when the review of the streaming show “Say Nothing” (and to a lesser extent, in my review of “Belfast”), it’s not necessary to go back and repeat the same violence and fighting that goes on in the midst of those who rule Protestants and Catholics, and those who feel oppressed.
What makes this film distinct is the acting, principally from its lead, Liam Neeson, but also from the other Irish actors like Ciaran Hind, Kerry Condon, Sarah Greene, Jack Gleeson, Colm Meaney, and Niamh Cusack.
The story begins in Belfast (the capital of Northern Ireland), which is ruled by the British government. Northern Ireland) In 1974, an IRA rebel, Doireann (Kerry Condon), caused many injuries to children. Doireann, along with two accomplices,s drives on towards Donegal, Ireland, which is located near Northern Ireland. There is a small village where Finbar (Liam Neeson) lives.
Finbar’s story and his early choices in the film are important. Finbar later explains, “The war [WW2] changed me into someone I did not recognize. When I got home and found out that my Margaret was dead, what was left of my previous self seemed to disappear into the dark space.” (All movie quotations are taken from film scripts.) A job was offered to him by mob bosses in the area (Colm Meaney). He became a hitman. (In real life and also on screen, Neeson is a widower, as is his wife in real life, Natasha Richardson, who died in 2009 at the age of 45, due to head injuries sustained from a ski accident. The fact that he knows this adds particular poignancy to Finbar’s relationship with his neighbour Rita, who is played in the film by Niamh Cusack.)
The movie’s “Troubles” background and depictions appear to be authentic enough, but what is more controversial is Finbar’s change from an infamous”hit” man–“I lost track a while ago. What number of people did I kill?”–to one who shuns the idea of killing. This is how it goes. He travels out into the countryside with Bart, the victim, who is tied to the trunk. When he arrives, Finbar leads him to the point where he intends to kill him. However, before he does (and when he has dug his grave), Bart makes a short speech. “I knew that this day was approaching. But it took a lot longer than I anticipated. It was a long time back. I was a rage-prone person as a teenager, and I had my fair share of killing…There was no turning back…after the things I’d done. One day, I made the decision that…whatever remains from my soul’s wretchedness shouldn’t go to waste, so…became part of the community. Did my best to help my fellow citizens.” Before singing an anthem in a pub, the singer was introduced with the following phrases: “I can’t say enough about this man. He’s done more to help this town than we deserve.”When he concluded his final pre-death address, Bart continued, “You are aware that this is where it comes to an end for us. In a boggy, windswept patch. Make sure you do your part before you get in this spot. There’s only so much time.”
The moment of his conversion is at the beginning of the film, and from then on, Finbar tries to help others. For instance, he attempts to persuade a hitman who is younger than Finbar, who is Finbar’s younger brother, to “find an alternative thing for him to do…I’m not saying that you have to be a saint or something similar to this. Don’t spend your time doing what you’re currently.”Finbar is also trying to assist a small girl known as Moya, who is being victimized by a man called Curtis. In the end, Finbar decides that the only method for him to get rid of Curtis would be to murder him; however, the murder is committed by a different worker of Robert, the mob’s boss. Robert rather than Finbar.
Curtis turns out to be the sister of IRA rebel Doireann who, when she learns that Finbar had chased him, it triggers the final confrontation (in the pub) with Finbar. After a shootout at the pub, where Doireann suffers injuries, the woman is taken to a nearby church, in which Finbar and she hold their final exchange. Finbar asks her, “You’re looking for him [Jesus] to save you?” She responds, “I’m not the one who needs to be saved. I’ve already done what I’ve been doing. And I had my own reasons. And the Lord knows these reasons. I will not take any judgment from the Lord.” He responds, “I’m not here to make a decision. Everyone has their own reasons.”
When she reveals her regret that her deceased brother (Curtis) was left to himself, Finbar says he’ll ensure she joins her, and when she dies, he will dedicate her body next to her brother. The film ends with Finbar departing from the village.
In addition to the excellent acting, the film is also filled with other aspects to be praised. The beautiful Irish landscape, with some of it inland, and the Irish pub scenes that feature the music and warmth, at least until the filming begins. And there’s even the Black African fiddle player in the pub where Finbar tells him, “Fine fiddlin’ there, son,” and responds, “Thank you, my friend.” When Finbar questions him, “Do you really want to go home? Home? He says, “I do not miss the fight. I don’t feel any blood.” These exchanges are reminiscent of an era and a place in which refugees and immigrants could be accepted, not fearful or feared.
The Land of Saints and Sinners is a good opportunity to think about how the “land of Saints” could be so bloody as it did in the 1960s between the 1960s and 1998. We have to ask whether the pacifist Dorothy Day was not correct when she said”that there is no public figure who has more conformed his life to the life of Jesus Christ than Gandhi.”
It seems that’s all it takes. When Bart is making the speech, Finbar’s face reveals that he’s influenced by the speech. After shooting Finbar, Finbar drives to his mob boss’s residence and informs him that he’s finished in the hit-man industry. Finbar also gives some context on the motives behind the demise of his postwar hit-man profession. “Been contemplating a lot lately. A lifetime of bad decisions I’ve made, Robert, and ever since Margaret died, don’t you? It’s true. mean…there’s much more to me than the above. I’d like people to be aware of it.”
It’s possible that a transformation could be possible, and I’d like to believe the time is never over to allow people to put aside their bad behaviors and start living an enjoyable life. But Finbar’s transformation occurs in a way that is too convenient, and also at the beginning of the film along with his closeness to an officer from the town (Ciaran Hinds) Finbar seems to be too nice to be someone who’s killed hundreds of people, and has lost track of his victims.