DVD Corner

The Saint Set 1 DVD Review

Simon Dutton carries the 1989 version of “The Saint”.

When you see the words “The Saint,” chances are high that you think of the Roger Moore television series, the novels by Leslie Charteris, or perhaps the 1997 film adaptation starring Val Kilmer. Some of you out there might think of the 1989 series starring Simon Dutton, but truth be told, this series is often forgotten. Is it underappreciated, overlooked, or better left forgotten? Read on to find out.

In the first set, which is comprised of three 100 or so minute TV movies, viewers are reintroduced to the character of Simon Templar (AKA The Saint). In case you don’t know who he is, the character is basically a deviation of Robin Hood in that he goes after criminals and robs from the rich. In the first film titled “The Brazilian Connection,” Simon investigates a baby kidnapping and is led to discover that babies are being sold via a repugnant black market operation. In movie number 2 dubbed “The Blue Dulac,” Simon goes after a gangster (George La Force) who has gotten way with the murder of two of his friends. Simon seeks revenge against the notorious criminal by framing him for the theft of an extremely valuable Russian necklace (The Blue Dulac). Last, but not least, there’s the third film called “Fear in Fun Park.” In this outing, Simon travels to Australia to search for a kidnapped woman and help a former lover’s parents save their theme park. Are the two cases connected? You’ll have to wait and see.

I’m sure the first thing that fans of “The Saint” want to know is, “Is this series any good?” The answer is yes and no. First of all, the writing is a bit uneven. Aside from the action packed “Fear in Fun Park” (which features a thrilling and elaborate climactic chase), the episodes tend to suffer from poor pacing, so-so central mysteries, lots and lots of James Bond wannabe moments, and atrocious smooth jazz scores. With that said, the episodes are still watchable. They may not be great mysteries or great TV, but if you’re a fan of the source material, the show might be appealing.

On the plus side, there is star Simon Dutton. Yes, he might not be as memorable as Roger Moore (who is?), but he’s certainly the best part of this series. His charming, smooth, distinguished, dashing, intelligent, ladies man Simon Templar persona lights up the screen. You can tell Dutton is having the time of his life playing this classic character. It’s just a shame the writing didn’t give him more to work with.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: Fullscreen. How does it look? It looks like an 80’s British TV series. Don’t expect any remastered prints here.

Audio Track: Dolby Digital Stereo. How does it sound? The track is a bit flat, but it does the job.

The only extras here are Acorn trailers.

September 16, 2014 - Posted by nicklyons1 | DVD review | Leslie Charteris, Roger Moore, Simon Dutton, Simon Templar, The Saint 1989, The Saint Set 1 DVD Review