rockoforza

(2013-06-18 03:00:52)

An old fashioned cop movie where Johnny Strong uses some muscle to clean up gritty New Orleans while working with a new, clean cut partner.

Johnny Strong lives up to his name in this new entry in the cop actionmovie. Strong plays a tough street cop with demons of his own on thetrail of a sadistic murder crew in New Orleans. There's plenty ofgritty action and gun play. The high body count is mostly thanks toJohnny Strong himself who plays judge, jury and executioner to thelowlife gangsters he encounters. There's a good supporting castfeaturing Tom Berenger, Sean Patrick Flannery and martial arts bad guysCostas Mandylor and Bas Rutten, but this movie belongs to Strong. Hisphysical presence is as important as his dialogue. In one fearsomefight scene the shirtless Strong, ripped and sporting some awesome ink,slays 4 thugs up close and personal. The plot twists and turns and thevillains do some awful stuff before Strong and his partner, clean cutKevin Phillips, bring them to justice. It doesn't take a genius tofigure out this movie is working the whole Lethal Weapon thing, but itseems to update it with more realistic characters and some graphicaction that might be too much for the squeamish. Still, if you like tosee a tough cop cleaning up the streets old school, this flick is foryou.

beregic

(2013-06-17 08:42:41)

very decent action flick

reason for 7 star; due to very low budget there were couple of scenesthat missed that "extra " punch. this is a guy's movie, doubt ladieswill like it unless they view it for the main protagonists (heroes andanti-heroes types).plot was quiet decent, straight up, nothing spectacular but iappreciate for not being led on by some cheesy or pointlessmelodramatic fill up scenes.however dialogues and acting very good for an action flick (all actorsmore or less look the part they play). in first half had quiet a dewnice surprises not found in almost any of the low budget action flicks.i should sum it up as a decent revenge flick of sorts.

mksentinel

(2013-06-16 07:27:27)

Sinners and Saints ROCKS Dallas

Digging through some independent films awhile back and found a gem of aflick in "The Prodigy". After that I started following Will Kaufman tosee what he would crank out next. "Sinners and Saints" does NOTdisappoint.The gun battles are fantastic. Some of the best stuff I've seen oncamera in a long time. In the action field, Kaufman and company holdtheir own and then some with major studio productions.Johnny Strong comes out of nowhere as a Charles Bronson for the newgeneration. Clint Eastwood would be proud of some of Strong's "DirtyHarry" moments in the flick. Fun performances as well from Method Man,Kim Coates, Louis Mandylor and Costas Mandylor. Wish Kim would havebeen in the film more.Fans of the Prodigy will appreciate seeing Holt Boggs, Matt Beckham andMark Hanson as well as others from the film along side names like TomBerenger, Bas Rutten and Sean Patrick Flannery.So many independent films these days are going the horror route or, ifthey do tackle something like action, they just can't hit the mark.These guys are able to do some amazing stuff with blood, sweat andtears. Can't wait to see what's next.

Mihai689

(2013-06-15 19:37:59)

Sinner & Saint?

I have seen my share of action movies and believe it or not, afterchecking out the movie's score here, I went out of my way to write myvery first review on IMDb.I've just finished watching "Sinners & Saints" and after doing a quicksearch for the song playing when the credits were rolling (great songby the way, if anyone is interested look for "Johnny Strong - Let YouGo"), I came to IMDb where I usually check and read about movies, and Imust say I'm a bit disappointed with the rating this movie had.To start off, this is no original movie, so don't expect to have yourmind blown out of the way and don't expect to see any breath takingplot twists. Though this movie doesn't add anything especially new tothe recipe it does a very good job in setting itself apart from otheraction movies.I have rarely found myself so captivated by a shoot-out movie. It mademe lose track of reality and I found myself cheering for the maincharacter and hating the "villains", which although it might seem likea simple enough premise, it is something that very few of the moviesI've seen lately managed to accomplish.I don't want to spoil anything, nor do I want to set any specialexpectations, so I will refrain myself from saying anything about theaction scenes or character development.I have really enjoyed watching "Sinners & Saints". It said somethingmeaningful to me, and I think That is the best thing a movie canaccomplish.

stock-1

(2013-06-14 00:37:39)

rough but top-notch shootout movie

The movie scenario is intriguing. In the post hurricane Katrina "city"of New Orleans normal life is very hard to come by. Virtually all theouter neighborhoods are today transformed into post-war battle fieldzones where mad-max alike gangs rule the streets. But somethingdifferent recently started to happen. The Russian mob tries to move in,replacing and taking over strategic parts of the underworld. And theymean business as they bring para military branch ex-Afghanistan Russianmercenaries to sort out the details. Not that this is unusual, and didnot happen before, but the outlandish brutal murders, involvingrepetitive gasoline burnings, are even beyond the Saffir–Simpson Scaleof Hurricane Katrina itself. The script is pretty accurate in that itreveals that the Russian mobsters have the best Intel gathering ontheir side, with access to Amdocs phone records and Comverse Infosysphone tapping, bypassing all the local authorities, whose departmentsare still recovering from war-zone Katrina. All seems hopeless but herecomes Sean Riley (Johnny Strong), the ex-Tora Bora gang buster, whosefirst shootout actions show unreal hit-rates , only using the officialNOPD revolver and some extra rounds. The only unrealistic part of thescript is where department chief Captain Trahan (Tom Berenger) visitsRiley at home warning him that he might get arrested by internalaffairs for to much outdoor shooting. It could imply though thatinternal affairs was already accepting marching orders from Mr. Rhykin(Das Boot Kapitan Jürgen Prochnow), the Russian mob boss. Saints andSinners is a very well made movie with top-notch shootout scenes, whichno-one i know wants to miss.

witster18

(2013-06-13 06:35:22)

A low-budget actioner in the vein of "El Mariachi" or "A Better Tomorrow"

If you go in with an open-mind, and with the understanding that thisfilm was made for 700K - then you might come out of it with a seriousappreciation for those involved.Who in the heck is Johnny Strong, and what in the heck is he doingacting so well in a no-name, rock-your-socks-off action flick likethis? His performance, along with the action sequences, carry the film.The film will test your patience.It starts with an earth-shattering action sequence(much like thedirectors previous work, "The Prodigy 3/10"), and then the film settlesdown to start the plot set-up.It's during this set-up that the average viewer may be tempted to turnit off. The low-production values are at their worst during the earlydramatic/dialog sequences. There is some schotty camera work, and thefilm stock gets terribly blurry from time to time. There were pointswhen this film looked nearly as bad as a bootleg. BUT the film reallystarts to grab you at the half-way point.Johnny Strong quickly becomes a character the audience would like toroot for, and with all the films' faults, it has some moments of sheerbrilliance. There are some dialog scenes(one particular in the policecar towards the middle of the film) that create an emotional spike tothe film, and then there's the action sequences which are extremelywell-done.I can see this film growing into a huge cult-hit.I didn't care for "The Prodigy" at all, but it's obvious this directoris progressing. He and Strong may have just punched their ticket to thebig-time.The storyline is decent for a genre where we shouldn't expectrocket-science. The hero of the film is balanced with a partner who isa family man. Kevin Phillips does a fine job as the partner, butStrong's character has NOTHING to lose, and all the talent andexperience in the world to take on this formidable enemy. Johnny isJohnny-on-the-spot with a gun, and an ex-marine, but his partner hasmore to lose. This balance adds a certain dynamic to the film. These characters break-out performances more than make up for thecameo-like appearances of Sean Patrick Flannery and Tom Berenger.I've already mentioned some of the film's flaws, but the film alsoslightly overstays it's welcome with about 5 action sequences thatcould have been combined into about two in the films' final half. Itmakes the ending a little bit anti-climactic, but the second-quarterand the third-quarters of this film are very strong considering its'resources.You should know if this is the kind of thing you want to take a chanceon or not. If you read that statement, and still rent it, you won't bedisappointed.65/100 You'll like this if you liked: El Mariachi, The Prodigy, ABetter Tomorrow, Narc, and The Killer.JUST GET PAST the early production short-comings and stick with it andyou shouldn't be disappointed.

ifirefx

(2013-06-12 14:02:36)

Sinners and Saints is old school action at it's very best!

I've had the pleasure of seeing this film twice. In LA and Dallas andboth screenings were simply amazing. I'm a fan of Will Kaufman'soriginal work, "THE PRODIGY" and have been wanting more since."SINNERS"is an awesome blend of intense Action and rich Story Telling. In linewith Kaufman's signature style,and you are hit hard, fast and oftenwith massive and jaw breaking gun fights very early! Scenes that seemto punch you in the mouth and dare you to ask for more. You can tellthe Filmmakers really had a love for what they were attempting toaccomplish. This film seems on par with any studio flick out there.There really is incredible production value in this Gem of Movie. It'sgot a lot of Faces you will know from other popular Films. It hasspectacular set pieces and quality FX. In so many ways' this isn't yourtypical indie-movie. It's got real fan appeal The bottom line here is,I dug it! It was fast and fun and found myself losing myself in thepowerful storyline. I loved it and I plan on picking up a copy as soonas I can get my hands on it. This has the makings of a legit cultclassic!

kimjarman19

(2013-06-12 04:39:45)

Not as good I had expected..

First of all, I'd like to say I did like this film, before people startrating this down, but I think it had the potential to be a lot better.The main character looked too clichГѓВ© for the part, I was hoping for avaguely happy, good cop to have gone rouge if you would, but instead Igot an already messed up one. The reason for him being that way wasexplained but very briefly and we got to see no storyline about itreally. On top of that his partner doesn't really suit the part, I didn't thinkso anyway.Some of the acting was a bit unbelievable and jumpy but it's a goodwatch if you're not expecting anything amazingly special, and that'swhy I rated it a 7/10, because the acting really bugged me. Apart fromwhat I've stated it was a good film, though.

mellenyoung

(2013-06-10 13:36:42)

Too much talk, too long, but excellent action.

I borrowed this movie based on some earlier reviews that gave it 8 outof 10 or more. Without digging much deeper into it. I thought it wouldbe a good evenings entertainment for myself and 2 younger men (18 &21). However, both of them left at various points, after their patiencewas worn down by the movie.It starts off with a fast paced action sequence, but quickly beginsjumping between what can seem to a movie goer from the last 2 decades,very long, dialog heavy sequences. The dialog scenes dragged on and thefleeting reward of the action sequences was not enough to keep my 2associates entertained. (one left 55 minutes in, another at 70 minutes)The writing throughout these scenes was clunky, and whilst it did helpestablish the plot. It would benefit from some serious cuts and perhapseven a rewrite.That said the movie did pick up around the halfway point, with bothplot becoming clearer and the movie finally achieving some decentwriting for the dialog scenes. I feel that the movie certainly deservescredit for the final action sequences, which were a standout amongst anumber of well choreographed moves.Verdict: If you enjoy drama and dialog, with your action. Then thereare better options out there that also manage to include some lightermoments. But as long as you can stand the first forty minutes, itshould pay off. Standout - final action sequence; the fact Johnny Strong is decent tolook at didn't hurt either Let downs - the dialog and writingthroughout the first half of the film Recommendation - Maybe fastforward through the talk, or skip to the halfway point and begin fromthere

srdatta

(2013-06-10 02:08:47)

i wanted to give it a 10 but no one would believe it

This has got to be one of the most amazing films ever made. It takes anew spin on the buddy cop genre for the 21st century. Everything isoriginal (it is an independent film after all) and surprisingly, it isa thought-provoking film. I own a lot of movies and this is the one Ihave watched over and over in recent history. The main actor also hasproduced some of the music, which is amazing, to say the least. I hadno expectations of this film, however, everything is done is anoriginal manner - surprising, as most films seem to rehash somethingyou've seen before.I cannot recommend this highly enough - yeah sure it may not be forsome, but seeing is believing.

dandu172

(2013-06-07 13:54:07)

This movie suck!

I want 100 minutes back of my life! This movie has zero originality,zero character development and zero credibility. The story is basicallythe same as every police/tough guy movie you have seen. Police with atroubled past find brutal killings, he goes Rambo, he stands up for"the right things" (Which means that he should be thrown in jail -permanently), he has a black partner etc, etc, etc. I can guess EVERYSINGLE EVENT in this movie before it happens The shooting scenes are acomplete joke. NO WAY would our hero survive those, let alone winningthem. If this were a less serious movie I wouldn't mind but this movieis trying so hard to be realistic & gritty. No human being but anincompetent American citizen could believe this crap was real, andbecause of it you lose interest. Fast.This has to be one of the most overrated movies at IMDb and I guessit's because too many flag fanatic morons gave it a good grade.

witster18

(2013-06-06 18:48:46)

A low-budget actioner in the vein of "El Mariachi" or "A Better Tomorrow"

If you go in with an open-mind, and with the understanding that thisfilm was made for 700K - then you might come out of it with a seriousappreciation for those involved.Who in the heck is Johnny Strong, and what in the heck is he doingacting so well in a no-name, rock-your-socks-off action flick likethis? His performance, along with the action sequences, carry the film.The film will test your patience.It starts with an earth-shattering action sequence(much like thedirectors previous work, "The Prodigy 3/10"), and then the film settlesdown to start the plot set-up.It's during this set-up that the average viewer may be tempted to turnit off. The low-production values are at their worst during the earlydramatic/dialog sequences. There is some schotty camera work, and thefilm stock gets terribly blurry from time to time. There were pointswhen this film looked nearly as bad a bootleg. BUT, and I mean BUT, thefilm really starts to grab you at the half-way point.Johnny Strong quickly becomes a character the audience would like toroot for, and with all the films' faults, it has some moments of sheerbrilliance. There are some dialog scenes(one particular in the policecar towards the middle of the film) that create an emotional spike tothe film, and then there's the action sequences which are extremelywell-done.I can see this film growing into a huge cult-hit.I didn't care for "The Prodigy" at all, but it's obvious this directoris progressing. He and Strong may have just punched their ticket to thebig-time.The storyline is decent for a genre where we shouldn't expectrocket-science. The hero of the film is balanced with a partner who isa family man. Kevin Phillips does a fine job as the partner, butStrong's character has NOTHING to lose, and all the talent andexperience in the world to take on this formidable enemy. Johnny isJohnny-on-the-spot with a gun, and an ex-marine, but his partner hasmore to lose. This balance adds a certain dynamic to the film. These characters break-out performances more than make up for thecameo-like appearances of Sean Patrick Flannery and Tom Berenger.I've already mentioned some of the film's flaws, but the film alsoslightly overstays it's welcome with about 5 action sequences thatcould have been combined into about two in the films' final half. Itmakes the ending a little bit anti-climactic, but the second-quarterand the third-quarters of this film are very strong considering its'resources.You should know if this is the kind of thing you want to take a chanceon or not. If you read that statement, and still rent it, you won't bedisappointed.65/100 You'll like this if you liked: El Mariachi, The Prodigy, ABetter Tomorrow, Narc, and The Killer.JUST GET PAST the early production short-comings and stick with it andyou shouldn't be disappointed.

Bob_the_Hobo

(2013-05-29 11:16:55)

Pass the Popcorn

Devastated by the abandonment of his wife and loss of his son andpartner, Detective Sean Riley (Johnny Strong) is paired up with familyman Det. Will Ganz (Kevin Phillips) to investigate a string of murdersin New Orleans. The killers have taken the life of gangster Weddo's(Method Man) brother, igniting a gang war that threatens to tear apartthe shaky stability after Hurrica Katrina. Things turn personal whenRiley's childhood friend Colin (Sean Patrick Flanery) may be involved.Sinners and Saints works as a pass-the-popcorn Sunday afternoon actionflick. The low budget doesn't detract from the effects, most work welland the shootouts pass without a hitch as the Big Easy effectivelyturns into a war zone. The film isn't particularly smutty, a refreshingdeparture from most straight to DVD action movies. And the story is aconsistently interesting mix of classic mystery clichГѓВ©s.Neither Strong nor Phillips has the acting chops to serve as the leads,but they turn in adequate performances. Flanery, half the BoondockSaints, is very good as Strong's secretive friend. DTV action moviestaples Kim Coates and Tom Berenger play members of the NOPD. Both havesmall roles that sum up about ten minutes, but it's good to see themoffer their names to the production. Jurgen Prochnow and Method Manplay the big villains.This is a good action movie for a lazy afternoon. I'd recommend it.

retta-88

(2013-05-28 19:16:40)

The best action movie I've seen in long time..

My favorite action movie until I watched Sinners and Saints was theBOONDOCK SAINTS that is the reason I bought Sinners and Saints- SeanPatrick Flannery. This movie was awesome from the beginning. I havewatched this movie numerous times and it doesn't get old...JohnnyStrong is an extremely Sexy Action Star. This movie was very well doneand exciting.. Hoping there is going to be a lot more Action moviesstarring Johnny Strong with his looks and his martial arts training isa win win situation..Under the direction of Willaim Kaufmann it wassuperbly done. His other movie The HIT LIST starring Cuba Gooding Jrand Cole Hauser was pretty cool too...SINNERS AND SAINTS-the sequel ison my wish list..If you like weapons and martial arts you will likethis movie...MY NEW FAVORITE ACTION MOVIE....

rightwingisevil

(2013-05-25 14:18:17)

Wow! This movie is so cool!

Johnny Strong is one of the coolest actors I've ever seen, and he canalso play a tough cop role so well. The firefights and the MMA-likeknife fight in this movie are also very very nicely performed anddirected; the knife fight is the second best, just one notch lower thanthe knife fights in the Korean movie "The Man from Nowhere". Althoughthe screenplay is pretty weak but it simply won't be a problem sincethe tough and cool image and performance of Johnny Strong is such anenjoyable presence. There are some big flaws in this movie too: Howcome a totally ruined and deserted house since Katrina still got GAS?And you can see the leaking gas so clearly? If I didn't timely pay thegas fee, the gas company would just cut off the gas next month, theyare not charity business. I think Johnny Strong is the next sexy urban Rambo macho image andwould have a great future in the movie business. If some TV companiesor movie companies are smart enough, they should sign up this guy forany possible tough cop movie or TV series. I am die-hard fan of thiscool dude after saw this movie, and my wife also thought he's the realdeal that could match up with Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry. Yeah, thismovie definitely deserve a big WOW!!!!

wotterson

(2013-05-25 06:55:48)

Shows direct to DVD doesn't mean bad!

This film was great on so many different levels. While the cop genre offilms has been picked apart and redone so many different times thisfilm, while not bringing anything new or fresh, did provide a level ofintensity and grit that is rarely seen on film. We see Johnny Strongplay a police officer who is at a point in his life who is searchingfor stability after a series of personal traumas have him evaluatingwhere to go next in life. While he is dealing with his own personalissues he is thrown into a violent crime wave of murders that aretaking place all over the city and he is tabbed to deal with it.Without giving anything away, Strong knocks this performance out of thewater. Strong is a great actor, good face for the screen and he gives asoulful, intense performance really making the viewer identify with thestruggles he is going through. Also a nod to Sean Patrick Flannery forhis role in this film. He brings that BDS accent, but he does a greatjob of adding to the grit and realness of the film. The one unspokenstar in this film for me was Method Man. While he isn't on screen verymuch is memorable to say the least. Set in the gritty, post Katrinacity of New Orleans this film is a winner. If your looking for a filmto watch that involves a good story line, solid acting and good actioncheck it out, I definitely recommend it.

dreamscape_11

(2013-05-25 10:31:09)

Kickass old school action with a phenomenal cast

In an age where prudish, greedy studio heads push for pussy ass PG-13action movies, it's refreshing to see an old school, badass, bonecruncher with an edge to it and plenty of hardcore action to spare. Thestory takes place in gritty New Orleans, post hurricane Katrina. Butit's not so much about the story as it is the action, soundtrack andspectacle. The story itself has been done a million times over, but thedifference is that here it's done with a unique flair for good dialogueand realistic, well rounded characters. Johnny Strong is appropriatelytough and hard-nosed as the lead, and the always awesome CostasMandylor is just so cool as the nasty, sadistic lead merc. Sean PatrickFlanery gives a mournful, spot on performance as the unlucky antiherowho's made mistakes and has regrets. The supporting cast is nicelypopulated by great performances, from Tom Berenger, Method Man, JoleneBlalock and others. The only big mistake the filmmakers made wascasting such excellent actors in tiny throwaway roles. Jurgen Prochnowis good as the shady tycoon pulling the strings, but is only in twominuscule scenes and his character is underdeveloped. Also Kim Coatesdies in the opening scene of the movie, which is an utter waste of histalent and an insult to him. He should have been given the KevinPhilips role, because Philips is sorely lacking in the actingdepartment. Other than those mistakes, Sinners And Saints is a greatentry in the action genre.

actionfilm-2

(2013-05-24 23:17:45)

It pays to do your action homework!

Won't rehash any of the plot details here, it's enough to say this filmis a Lethal Weapon for the new millennium. While the story is notoriginal, the filmmakers brought freshness to the subject matter by: A)Hiring a terrific lead, Johnny Strong (hows that for a name!) is notthe typical pretty boy actor Hollywood tries to pass off as an actionhero, the guy looks and acts seriously tough. And kudos to him fortaking the role seriously, as evidenced by his exceptional ability tohandle weapons and the stunts convincingly. B) First rate job on therest of the casting as well, and that means every role, not a sour notein the bunch. C) Solid, solid, and stylish direction. D) Good script,without the bland and often clichГѓВ© dialog found in so many action filmstoday. E) Very nice work from the technical advisers and trainers, thisis a rare example of these professionals and an actor (in this caseStrong) coming together and producing a truly convincing performance,as opposed to just an adequate one. Their attention to detail pays offhere.Of course there's plenty of other reasons, but these stand out. Highlyrecommended.

virindra

(2013-05-21 22:52:55)

Big balls, small dick.

Now we have a movie here, with this cool name "Sinners and saints'.Sounds interesting and promising. Have not heard about this moviebefore. Should it be an average movie then? Yes it is.There are two big names attached to this movie like two big cojones;"Sean Patrick Flanery" and "Tom Berenger". SPF just plays a role of 5minutes max in the whole movie and TB maybe 10. They both die andthat's that. No action in their asses, no reason to have been a part ofthis movie in the first place.Now we are left with the main character, this cop played by JoynnhyStrong. Nice actor, played well. But I did not hire this movie becauseof him. I hired this movie because of SPF and TB. So yes, I wasdisappointed.SPF works for a company called Spartan. He has some evidence on a tapeand Russian gang members want to have this tape. The when the movieevolves, these Russian members were involved in the Amecican war. Soare they Russian people or are they American people? Now this "boss" ofthe Russian army people, or American people, played by Costas Mandylorisn't really that scary like Gary Oldman was in LГѓВ©on. He seems to wantthis tape because his boss wants to have this tape. Does this boss workfor Spartan? Costas Mandylor is on this tape killing some soldiers. Soit seems to me that Costas Mandylor wants this tape for personalreasons and not for his boss. Who was this geeky boss with thisearphone who was in bed with a young lady? What was his purpose in thismovie? There are lots of loose ends. This movie is a small dick withtwo big names attached with no reason. Acting of Kevin Phillips wasterrible. Action was hilarious. A lot of shooting and, knowing thatthese bad guys are trained people, they missed a lot! What a waste oftime.

hootanda45

(2013-05-21 11:13:44)

very Street Kings, a lot of fun

This film was action movie popcorn fun. Like an action flick you catchhalfway through on TV but stop and watch the rest anyway. The gunfights and gear were great and brutal. Whoever choreographed thegunfights did a bang up job with the weapons handling and gear/holsterchoices. In true action movie fashion there's a few instances ofendless magazines but still a lot of reloads.The acting was so so and it was what I expected from a awesome shootoutmovie but it still had a lot of great 2nd string actors like Flannery,Berenger, and a few others that you don't know by name but willrecognize. Johnny Strong will only get recognized for Black Hawk Downand Fast and the Furious but he did a good job for leading a fun StreetKings, Dirty Harry, gunfight flick. If you have a couple of hours to kill, and can find the movie, go aheadand give it a shot.