Parents' Guide to In the Land of Saints and Sinners

Neeson's latest action-thriller attempts to carefully pace itself before escalating its violence. It means there's a lot of waiting around, as In the Land of Saints and Sinners' exposition-heavy dialogue and forced contrivances try to show that Neeson's Murphy is a semi-retired killer who has become world-weary about his work. The stodgy script also fails to utilize the talents of Kerry Condon's sweary IRA leader Doireann McCann, whose attempt to spare innocent lives while also trying to detonate a bomb in a residential street when we first meet her is an indication of the confused tone that follows. Also present is Game of Thrones alumnus Jack Gleeson, who has the slightly easier task of perking things up as smiling assassin Kevin Lynch. He and Neeson get to form a pleasing double act at times, as Lynch is occasionally given pause for thought by observing what his line of work has done to his older compatriot. But there's not enough drama or action here to produce an engrossing story. The ripple effect of Ireland's Troubles period has been brought to life on screen countless times previously and in far more interesting ways than this. The filmmakers clearly wanted to treat the period with the sensitivity it deserves, but what's left is a bloody battle that eventually comes unstuck in time and space.