Review of The Saint in New York (1938) by Brian B — 01 Aug 2009
The first film adaptation of Leslie Charteris' enigmatic character, Simon Templar aka the Saint is an enjoyable B thriller from RKO studios. The plot could have been straight out of any low budget crime film as it essentially involves bringing "justice" to New York by taking down a major crime syndicate; however in many other films from the 1930's the hero would have been a cop trying to get a conviction and, if he killed anyone it would have been by necessity rather than choice.
However with this film the Saint kills by choice and is as much a killer as he is a bringer of justice. This dark edge makes the film more interesting than the standard plot suggests. Louis Hayward, in his only outing as the title character, plays it with the perfect mix of the suave and the psychotic.
He is convincing as a bit of a smooth character but, more importantly, he convinced me as a remorseless killer. The rest of the cast are the usuals caricatures of cops and criminals.
This review of The Saint in New York (1938) was written by Brian B on 01 Aug 2009.
The Saint in New York has generally received mixed reviews.
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