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Mini Review
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| Director |
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Melantha Blackthorne
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| Cast |
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Jason Cavalier
Melantha Blackthorne
Jan Pivon
Dean Leslie
Liz Faure
Michael Brunet
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| Distributor |
| Robomonkey Productions |
| Running Time |
| 87 Minutes |
| Certification |
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Not Rated
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Reviewed By
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Vaughan Dyche
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Buy this film
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SINNERS AND SAINTS (2004)
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Shot on a budget of less than $100, 000 Canadian and taking three years to produce, this low budgeted affair has been a labour of love for filmmakers/actors Melantha Blackthorne and Jason Cavalier. Fashioned by Melantha and Jason’s own Robomonkey Productions, this ambitious action packed horror yarn set between our world and a dark twisted version of Hell, packs a punch way beyond its meagre finances and hurtles the viewer into a journey of the wickedly weird.
The story centres on Father Drake (Jason Cavalier), a member of ‘Our Lady of the Righteous Fist’, responsible for hunting down perpetrators of evil and opening a can of godlike whoopass on the sinners. Enlisting the sultry talents of combat nun Sister Jordan Merrick (Liz Faure) they head out in to the night on the scent of a band of kidnappers who, with the help of the Vatican Satellite ‘VAT-SAT’, have been tracked to an abandoned warehouse. During the inevitable confrontation between the forces of good and evil something very odd occurs. First Sister Merrick’s top flies off and she is forced to battle evil in a very distracting manner and secondly the poor innocent girl who was kidnapped transforms into the sexy queen of the underworld Necrotia (Melantha Blackthorne) on a personal mission to search out the one human who can save the netherworld from a devious conspiracy. Taken literally to Hell and back, Father Drake finds himself drawn into a freakish assignment that will test his body, mind and sole.
This tripped out genre meld of kung fu/street brawling blended with an unhealthy dollop of evil pit dwelling abominations is anything but your conventional type of cinematic normality. It displays a distinct repugnance for a plot where A follows B follows C and goes for a much more haphazard approach which sometimes works, but sometimes doesn’t. The films surreal nightmare imagery reminded me a lot of Carl Rudolph Stargher ’s horrific dream world from the unfairly criticised film ‘The Cell’, offering some unsettling glimpses of an underworld riddled with lost souls punished with sick and masochistic acts by hideously deformed demons who take great pleasure in their work. It is during these often bizarre segments that the film takes on its own unique visual style displaying several moments that will remain with you way after the DVD has been popped back on the shelf (or slide under your living room chair if you’re as untidy as me). Not wanting to spoil the surprises too much, a special mention has to go out to the nursing mother who welcomes new arrivals to Hades by squirting breast milk right into their shocked face and Hells strippers who will titillate the weary traveller right before they chow down on your pancreas.
Jason’s skill as a professional stuntman and actor is obvious for all to see during the many fight sequences that pepper the production and, whilst the fight cinematography isn’t up to the standards of your typical action blockbuster, the limited budget hasn’t made them any less effective with the help of some rapid segment editing, bone crunching sound effects and a kick-ass rock anthem booming away thanks to the efforts of such pleasantly titled groups as Tvangeste, Ashes to Ashes, The Evil Boys, Bordello, Festerguts, Atargatis, Season of Mourning and Pnevma. While Jason flexes his muscles to the sound of breaking limbs, Melantha Blackthorne vamps it up as the deadly but beautiful Necrotia. Fans of Melantha will not be disappointed by her big style vamping as she struts her curvaceous stuff but her screen time is a little limited and her dialogue is delivered with a very annoying 'echo' effect which is presumably intended to make her character sound a little more sinister, but only makes it hard to understand her lines.
The films finale is a bit of a damp squid despite it working on a certain level, but it’s just never clear enough whether it’s the filmmaker’s intension to leave the end so…..unresolved. It might be a taste thing, but I do prefer my endings a little more resolute and with such a good job made of caressing the story with flash visual and a driven thread, the lack of a kick ass climax was a big disappointment for me. Contemplating the last 87 minutes of my life spent with ‘Sinners and Saints’ I can resolutely declare that this is an amazing production, all things considered, which deserves your attention and that of a descent distributor. I can see this being an indie hit given a little TLC by a respectful DVD company and, complete with a solid image, robust soundtrack and gaggle of special features, should be on any horror/action fans shopping list.
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Score
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6 / 10
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