On this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John watched The Saint, a 1997 action thriller directed by Phillip Noyce and loosely based on the character of Simon Templar, created by Leslie Charteris in 1928 for a series of books.

In The Saint, Kilmer plays Simon Templar, a professional thief known as “The Saint” for using Catholic saints as aliases. He steals a microchip from a Russian oil company but is caught by the owner’s son. He is then hired by the owner, a billionaire oligarch named Tretiak, to steal a cold fusion formula discovered by Emma Russell, an American chemist. Tretiak plans to use the formula to monopolize the Russian energy market. Once he obtains the formula, he also plans to kill Simon.

Simon seduces Emma but falls for her. He abandons his plan to steal from her until Tretiak threatens to kidnap her.

At this point the plot becomes a little convoluted to me but here’s what I think happens.

Simon does end up stealing the formula but when analyzed, Tretiak finds that it is useless to him. His plan now is to sell the incomplete formula to the Russian president and then attack him for spending billions on worthless technology, using the resulting chaos to make himself president.

Emma finishes the formula, Simon delivers it to a scientist who hopes to use it for good, and in a confrontation in Red Square, Tretiak is exposed as a fraud when it becomes clear that the formula works. Emma and Simon reunite, they start a relationship and it is revealed that Simon has donated billions to charity using money from Tretiak’s accounts.

All ends well!

The taglines for The Saint were “A man without a name, can never be identified. A man who doesn't exist, can never be caught. A man who doesn't love, can never truly be alive.” And “Never reveal your name. Never turn your back. Never surrender your heart.”

You can find The Saint to stream on demand on Amazon Prime or for rent or purchase on Amazon and Apple TV.

The Saint was released on April 4, 1997, so let’s check out the New York Times for that day.

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The latest episode of our Patreon podcast is on the 1979 thriller Hardcore.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.