Liam Neeson thriller proves to be huge hit on Netflix despite critics' reviews
Lian Neeson stars in In the Land of Saints and Sinners
Liam Neeson’s most recent movie has just landed on Netflix for viewers in the UK and Ireland and it is a big hit. In the Land of Saints and Sinners is set in Ireland and stars a host of familiar Irish faces, including Kerry Condon, Colm Mean, and Ciaran Hinds.
The film follows former assassin Finbar Murphy, played by Neeson, who lives a quiet life in a rural seaside Irish village. Finbar hopes to leave his troubled past behind him and stay far away from The Troubles in 1970s Ireland.
However, he soon discovers that a member of the newly arrived group of sketchy men has been abusing a local girl and he is drawn into a vicious game of cat and mouse.
He must choose whether or not he wants to protect his friends and neighbors and expose his secret identity.
Despite many negative reviews upon its initial release, the film has shot up the Netflix charts. It first premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September and is now available for many to watch at home.
The film was met with mixed reviews when it was first released. Many reviews criticized it for its portrayal of Irish stereotypes.
The Hollywood Reporter’s review of the film reads: “The paddywhackery’s as thick as the Oirish brogues and flavorful caricatures in Robert Lorenz’s In the Land of Saints & Sinners.
“Not since the merry blarney of Wild Mountain Thyme has a movie leaned so hard into Emerald Isle stereotypes, which makes it remarkable that Liam Neeson as a pipe-smoking, Dostoevsky-reading assassin manages to play it straight.”
Meanwhile, Screen Daily said: “For some, that film was a little too bleak and the humor a bit too black: The Land Of Saints And Sinners will be the more palatable Irish thriller for those in that market. And Neeson looks as strong as ever in the ‘big lad’ role: he’s 71, and signs are that he will just keep on sinning – as long as there is a child in distress.”
Despite this, it currently has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 81 percent and an audience score of 75 percent. In the Land of Saints and Sinners is available to watch in the US on Amazon Prime Video but for a rental price of $19.99.
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