Saints and Sinners (1994 film) explained

Saints and Sinners
Runtime:100 minutes
Director:Paul Mones
Producer:Paul Mones
Cinematography:Michael Bonvillain
Editing:Leo Trombetta
Distributor:LIVE Entertainment
Country:United States
Language:English

Saints and Sinners is a 1994 American crime drama film starring Damian Chapa, Jennifer Rubin, and Scott Plank. It was written, produced and directed by Paul Mones. The film's production company was MDP Worldwide.

Background

The film stars Damian Chapa as Pooch, Jennifer Rubin as Eva, and Scott Plank as Big Boy.[1] It first premiered in France in September 1994 at the Deauville Film Festival and later saw a proper theatrical release in the country on 19 April 1995 via the distributor Les Films Number One, whilst in the UK the film's video premiere was during May 1996.[2] In France, Kinemastar was the film's publicity company.[3]

On February 20, 1996, the film was released on VHS in America via Live Home Video/Lions Gate.[4] In Brazil, it was released on VHS via Look Filmes and via Videosonic Arts in 1995 in Greece.[3] A UK VHS release was also issued.[5] In Germany it was released on DVD,[6] whilst a Scandinavian DVD release was also issued.[7] The film was issued in America on Amazon Video in recent years.[8]

The film's main tagline reads "Guns. Drugs. Sex. Anything two can do, three can do better."[9]

For the film, Paul Mones was nominated in 1994 for the Critics Award of the Deauville Film Festival, whilst in 1995, Mones won the Special Jury Prize for the film by the Cognac Festival du Film Policier.[10]

Plot

After many years Pooch returns to his old New York neighborhood and teams up with his old high school friend Big Boy to run the local rackets. Big Boy realizes that Pooch is a valuable and trustworthy asset in his plans of becoming local crime lord, and the two get involved with the local drug trade of the neighborhood. With the help of their pal Juanito, the pair continue to get close to having total control and will be able to make a proposition to the mob behind it all. However Big Boy doesn't know that Pooch is a cop being charged for corruption, who was given one last chance to avoid jail by going undercover to clean up his old neighborhood. To Pooch, this reunion is painful because as an undercover cop, he is working as an informer within Big Boy's gang, with plans to bring Big Boy down. While Pooch is undecided about whether he should help them, or help himself, as well as struggling between loyalty and betrayal, the two friends relationship is further tested with an arrival of aspiring-model and pathological-liar Eva, who Pooch meets in a health food restaurant. Both men fall in love with her and it isn't long before all three of them are sleeping together, whilst each have their own agenda.[11] [12] [13]

Cast

Reception

Sandra Brennan of Allmovie gave the film three out of five stars, calling it a "gritty crime thriller".[13]

Uncle Scoopy's Movie House gave the film a C−, stating "Saints and Sinners was meant to be gritty, but that, for me, is its downfall. There is entirely too much scenery-chewing and very little subtlety, and the script does not quite take the time and effort needed to sell the friendship between Plank and Chapa."[12]

The 2005 book VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever gave the film one and half out of five stars.[14]

On February 16, 1996, Susan King of the Los Angeles Times, described the film as a "sleazy, erotic thriller".[15]

On March 23, 1996, Roanoke Times stated "A screwy supercharged energy drives "Saints and Sinners," a crime drama/buddy flick/romance about two childhood friends and their adventurous girlfriend."[16]

Dragan Antulov of rec.arts.movies.reviews gave a rating of 6 out of 10.[17]

Notes and References

  1. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117539/
  2. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117539/releaseinfo?ref_=tt_dt_dt#akas
  3. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117539/companycredits?ref_=tt_dt_co
  4. Book: Saints and Sinners [VHS] . Saints and Sinners [VHS]: Damian Chapa, Jennifer Rubin, Scott Plank, William Atherton, Damon Whitaker, Charles Guardino, Bob Larkin, Panchito Gómez, DeJuan Guy, Sal Landi, Bob Delegall, Eugenie Bondurant, Philip Casnoff, Jeff Cadiente, Billy Bastiani, Gianin Loffler, Roy Matlen, Ricco Chapa, Juan Fernández, Paul Mones: Movies & TV |asin = 6303925111].
  5. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61IMcvXonML.jpg
  6. Web site: Saints and Sinners DVD Damian Chapa, Jennifer Rubin, Scott Plank, Tom Varner: Amazon.co.uk: Film & TV . Amazon.co.uk . 2001-04-12 . 2013-03-16.
  7. Web site: Saints and Sinners DVD 1995 aka Saint Sinners Jennifer Rubin: Amazon.co.uk: Jennifer Rubin: Film & TV . Amazon.co.uk . 2013-03-16.
  8. Web site: Saints and Sinners: Damian Chapa, Jennifer Rubin, Scott Plank, Paul Mones: Movies & TV . Amazon . 2001-04-12 . 2013-03-16.
  9. Web site: Saints and Sinners Movie Posters From Movie Poster Shop . Moviepostershop.com . 2013-03-16.
  10. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117539/awards?ref_=tt_awd
  11. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117539/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl
  12. Web site: Saints and Sinners . Scoopy.com . 2013-03-16.
  13. Web site: Saints and Sinners (1995) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast . AllMovie . 2013-03-16.
  14. Book: Videohound's Golden Movie Retriever 2005 - Jim Craddock - Google Books . January 2004. 9780787674700 . 2013-03-16. Craddock . Jim .
  15. Web site: Los Angeles Times: Archives - FAMILY; All the Presidents' Films and More . https://archive.today/20130411160541/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/16666639.html?dids=16666639:16666639&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Feb+16,+1996&author=SUSAN+KING&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=FAMILY;+All+the+Presidents'+Films+and+More&pqatl=google . dead . April 11, 2013 . Pqasb.pqarchiver.com . 1996-02-16 . 2013-03-16.
  16. Web site: Roanoke Times Online Archives . Nl.newsbank.com . 1996-03-23 . 2013-03-16.
  17. Web site: Saints and Sinners - Movie Reviews . .