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United States
5.7 1h 28m

Desert Saints

Banks is a hit man, the best, usually working for Latin American drug cartels. He picks up solitary women, uses them briefly for a job, then kills them. He's in the Southwest, headed toward Mexico, when he picks up Bennie, a woman leaving an abusive marriage, going to Paradise, Arizona. The film follows three tracks: Banks's slow recruitment of Bennie, the set-up for the hit at a swank resort in Mexico, and the FBI's close pursuit of Banks, whom they want alive in hopes he'll rat out his bosses. Bennie may not be who she seems, and there may be a chink in Banks's tough-guy armor. Guns, money, and a chance at Paradise.

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Top Cast

  • Kiefer Sutherland

    Kiefer Sutherland

    Arthur Banks

  • Melora Walters

    Melora Walters

    Bennie Harper

  • Jamey Sheridan

    Jamey Sheridan

    Agent George Scanlon

  • Leslie Stefanson

    Leslie Stefanson

    Agent Donna Marbury

  • Bill Sage

    Bill Sage

    Agent Davis

  • Keith Diamond

    Keith Diamond

    Agent Robinson

  • Shawn Woods

    Shawn Woods

    Larson

  • Christopher Bersh

    Christopher Bersh

    Thug in Black

  • Rachel Ticotin

    Rachel Ticotin

    Dora

Overview

Banks is a hit man, the best, usually working for Latin American drug cartels. He picks up solitary women, uses them briefly for a job, then kills them. He's in the Southwest, headed toward Mexico, when he picks up Bennie, a woman leaving an abusive marriage, going to Paradise, Arizona. The film follows three tracks: Banks's slow recruitment of Bennie, the set-up for the hit at a swank resort in Mexico, and the FBI's close pursuit of Banks, whom they want alive in hopes he'll rat out his bosses. Bennie may not be who she seems, and there may be a chink in Banks's tough-guy armor. Guns, money, and a chance at Paradise.

Rating

5.7 / 10
57 Reviews
2 Popular

1 Reviews

  • Wuchak
    Wuchak
    6 Feb 23, 2025

    **_As they say in Latin, "De gustibus non est disputandum"_** An American hitman working for the Latin American cartels (Kiefer Sutherland) always uses and loses a solitary woman for his assignments. But this time, his last hit, he apprehends a woman who’s more interesting than usual (Melora Walters). Meanwhile, the FBI is hot on his trail. "Desert Saints" (2002) is a crime thriller cut from the same cloth as "The Getaway" (1972) and Dennis Hopper’s "Backtrack," aka "Catchfire," mixed with 90’s Tarantino flicks and their knockoffs, such as “The Way of the Gun.” Like those movies, don’t expect likable protagonists. The only person who’s noble is FBI Agent Scanlon (Jamey Sheridan) and maybe his female partner (Leslie Stefanson). Kiefer does a convincing job as the humorless assassin “tough guy," but the highlight, for me, is Melora Walters, perhaps best known as George Costanza’s date in “The Hamptons” episode of Seinfeld. She’s also infamous as the ‘kitchen table woman’ in “Cold Mountain.” The 3-second scene before the end credits roll almost makes the film. It runs 1 hour, 28 minutes, and was shot in SoCal at Santa Clarita, Simi Valley, Los Angeles, Barstow and Sierra Madre (the expensive hotel). GRADE: B-/C+

Trailers & Clips

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