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After you’ve lived your whole life one way, it’s not always easy to turn everything around and start over. That’s definitely the case for the ex-con in There Are No Saints, who ends up right back where he left off, fighting not for an employer this time but for his own family.
There Are No Saints tries to start a new life with Neto Niente (José María Yazpik), a ruthless killer known as “the Jesuit,” who’s released from death row after serving four years for a crime he didn’t commit. He intends to turn his life around—to be the father that his son, Julio (Keindrich Sallati), deserves. But when his wife (Paz Vega) is killed and his son is kidnapped and taken to Mexico, Neto will do anything to get his son back—so he follows the trail that leads him through one obstacle after another.
As Neto tracks his son, he does so knowing that he’s being watched. The police are eager for a way to put him back in prison—for good this time. Rival gangs are waiting for him to step out of line. Even his own former gang is watching. And Neto knows that he has to be careful. We don’t get a whole lot of background on the character and his life before prison, but we know enough to understand that he was not a good man—definitely not the saint that his son’s collection of artwork makes him out to be. He’s sharp and ruthless—and he knows how to go about his business carefully.
Both as a writer and a director, Paul Schrader is known for tackling some dark, difficult topics—and in the screenplay for There Are No Saints, he explores more of them here, following Neto as he tries to turn his back on his former life, only to find himself right back in the middle of it. His story is dark and heavy and often graphic, too, refusing to shy away from the gruesome details. Schrader uses religious imagery and themes to examine the ideas of sin and redemption, of justice and retribution—and that makes this dark crime thriller both challenging and fascinating.
With its heavy themes and sometimes gruesome violence, There Are No Saints isn’t the typical brainless action movie. But this story of a man fighting to save his son will definitely give you a lot to think about long after it’s over.
You can find There Are No Saints in theaters and on demand starting on May 27, 2022.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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