Phillip Noyce’s “The Saint” (1997) begins with an opening scene so dreadful, it’s (to use the film’s favorite word) a “miracle” that it eventually does improve itself.
We meet a little boy in an orphanage, who defies his abusive guardians, declares his name to be Simon Templar and commits an act of rebellion that leads to tragedy. This Dickensian start, both off-putting and cutesy, like a music-free adaptation of “Oliver!,” gets this off to a rotten start.
The film finds its way once lead Val Kilmer takes over the lead as Templar and carries the film. In a similar way, this TV show adaptation provided Kilmer with an opportunity for career course correction.
“Batman Forever” (1995) was the biggest hit of its year and a commercial breakthrough for Kilmer,…
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