In the Land of Saints and Sinners (2024) | Film Review

When director Robert Lorenz’s In the Land of Saints and Sinners kicks off, we are already deep in the heart of Ireland’s notorious Troubles. It’s 1974 in Belfast when a group of IRA wannabe freedom fighters, led by Kerry Condon’s Doireann McCann, sets off a bomb in which an innocent mother and her children lose their lives. They decide it is time to lay low for a spell and take refuge in the quaint coastal town of Glencolmcille. Unfortunately for them, this also happens to be the home of Liam Neeson’s retiring hitman, Finbar Murphy.

Murphy has been doing the dirty work for Robert McQue (Colm Meaney) for decades, under the nose of his policeman friend, Vincent (Ciarán Hinds), and often times fighting for work with his younger competition, Kevin Lynch (Jack Gleeson). Despite this, his heart has struggled with his work for some time. Finbar even replaces every life he takes with a tree, a visual circle-of-life gesture of sorts. When Finbar learns that Doireann’s brother, Curtis (Desmond Eastwood), has been abusing the sweetly young daughter of the pub owner, Murphy’s plans for retirement are put on hold, and the escalation of events begins.

In recent years, Liam Neeson has found himself wading in the waters of countless thrillers of this sort, and it would be fair to read the synopsis for In the Land of Saints and Sinners and assume the plot is rather formulaic. To do so, though, would be a disservice to both the filmmakers who have really ratcheted up the tension with this piece, and the actors who all came to play in a high-stakes thriller worthy of our attention.

Liam Neeson is always in command, and this film is no different. Neeson is an actor who faithfully allows his humanity to hang ever-present off of his sleeve, regardless of the circumstances his characters find themselves in. Even as a for-hire killer, Finbar Murphy remains relatable and salvageable. There is never a moment where we question whose side we should be on, despite Murphy actively acknowledging he has essentially created his own forest via his bodies-for-trees transactional system. The reason for our undying loyalty is that effortless compassion Liam Neeson can capture with little more than a glance or a wry smile.

Of special note is the burgeoning relationship between Fin and Kevin. At once this co-existence of hitmen feels both competitive and combative, the old guard against the young upcomer. But as the story grows, we begin to see the layers of Kevin through the emotive eyes of Jack Gleeson. A talented actor who was almost too great for his own good (Game of Thrones’ Joffrey), Gleeson imbues Kevin’s impulsive elements with a touch of sympathy and grace, fleshing out a character that otherwise might read one-note on the page.

The best performance, however, is Kerry Condon as Doireann. Equal parts empathetic and monstrous, Kerry Condon is fantastic as Murphy’s antagonist and leader of this IRA sect. Commanding any and every scene she takes part in, Condon’s fierce delivery showcases Doireann’s disciplined belief in her pursuits while simultaneously demonstrating why she feels she needs to elevate to the furthest extremes to accomplish her goals. Films like this demand a complicated and potentially understandable villain to truly rise to the occasion, and Condon arrives with a fiery performance determined to rightfully prove her recent Oscar nomination for The Banshees of Inisherin was no fluke.

In the Land of Saints and Sinners is a captivating thriller that pulsates with Irish history and pulpy characters. Taking notes from his previous collaboration with Neeson in The Marksman, director Robert Lorenz allows the characters to breathe enough to intoxicate the audience before hitting the gas midpoint until the final credits. Not only is this a taut, energetic outing stacked with memorable performances, it’s also Liam Neeson’s best film in years.

Listen to our full podcast review of In the Land of Saints and Sinners on this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast: