Name: There Are No Saints
Genre: Action, Mystery, Thriller
Released: 2022-05-27T00:00:00+00:00
Cast: José María Yázpik, Shannyn Sossamon, Tommy Flanagan, Ron Perlman, Karla Souza

The opening shot of There Are No Saints lingers on a bloodied face—José María Yázpik as Neto Niente, taking punch after brutal punch, his nose smashed, eyes swollen shut. It’s an unrelenting hook, a promise of visceral stakes and relentless action. But for all its gritty intentions, Alfonso Pineda Ulloa’s 2022 action thriller stumbles into familiar pitfalls, delivering a revenge narrative that feels more like a retread than a reinvention.

Based on a script by Paul Schrader—whose name alone might raise expectations given his work on Taxi Driver and Raging Bull—the film follows Neto, a former gang enforcer wrongly imprisoned. When his ex-wife is murdered and his son kidnapped, he devises an elaborate plan to rescue him and exact revenge. Along the way, he teams up with Inez (Shannyn Sossamon), a stripper with her own motives, navigating a web of Mexican drug cartels and corrupt officials.

The film’s strongest asset is its action—raw, brutal, and unflinching. Yázpik sells the physicality of Neto’s fight scenes with conviction, even if some of the punishment he takes feels unrealistic. How many blows can one man absorb before collapsing? The cinematography during these sequences is gritty, evoking the spirit of classic exploitation cinema, where blood spills freely and morality is a luxury few can afford.

But beyond the fight scenes, There Are No Saints struggles to find its footing. Schrader’s script feels schlocky at times, relying on predictable revenge thriller beats rather than offering anything fresh or surprising. The dialogue often clunks—lines delivered with no flair or charisma by an ensemble that includes Ron Perlman, Tim Roth, and Neal McDonough. These are actors capable of depth, but here they’re stuck in roles that feel one-dimensional.

The dynamic between Neto and Inez lacks the chemistry needed to make their partnership compelling. Sossamon’s performance is serviceable, but her character never feels fully realized—more a plot device than a person. The same goes for Paz Vega as Nadia, whose role as Vincent’s (Neal McDonough) wife adds little beyond generic cartel wife tropes.

The film’s pacing is another issue. At 108 minutes, it drags in places, particularly in the setup, which takes too long to hook the audience. The first act meanders, introducing characters and conflicts that don’t fully engage until the action kicks in. Even then, the momentum stutters, with too many scenes feeling like filler rather than necessary steps in Neto’s journey.

Thematically, There Are No Saints doesn’t offer much new ground. It’s a revenge tale wrapped in cartel violence, a story we’ve seen countless times before. The film’s attempt to defy convention—its willingness to embrace brutality and moral ambiguity—is commendable but ultimately falls short. Without deeper character exploration or a more nuanced script, it feels like another forgettable entry in the genre.

The production history of There Are No Saints is as messy as its narrative. Originally titled The Jesuit, the project was first announced in 2010 with Schrader set to direct and Willem Dafoe attached to star. By 2012, Pineda Ulloa had taken over directing duties, and the cast had been reshuffled. The film has been completed since 2014, but its long gestation period shows in its uneven tone and pacing.

Critics have been largely unimpressed. On Rotten Tomatoes, only 26% of reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.8/10. Metacritic assigned the film a score of 30 out of 100, indicating “generally unfavorable” reviews. Mark Hanson of Slant Magazine awarded it two and a half stars out of four, noting that at its best, the film gleefully embodies the grungy spirit of classic exploitation cinema—but that’s faint praise for a movie that should aim higher.

Julian Roman of MovieWeb gave the film a positive review, praising Schrader’s ultra-gritty script and the film’s willingness to defy convention. But even he acknowledged that the narrative suffers from generic action tropes. Josh Bell of Comic Book Resources was less forgiving, calling it “full of the hallmarks of a movie that’s been extensively retooled in post-production.”

In the end, There Are No Saints is neither a standout action thriller nor a memorable revenge tale. It’s a film that occasionally gleams with potential—particularly in its fight scenes and gritty cinematography—but too often falters under the weight of its own predictability. For fans of brutal, no-holds-barred action, there might be some enjoyment to be found here.