Liam Neeson action thrillers have almost become their own genre. And you can almost always count on getting one in the first few months of the year. This year’s entry is “In the Land of Saints and Sinners”, a gritty yet slightly uneven feature driven by a killer cast and set to the stunning backdrop of the gorgeous Irish countryside. The setting and time period alone are enough to hold your attention. But the movie has a hard time maintaining its energy, often losing itself in its well-intended yet strangely overwritten character-building.

The film comes from director Robert Lorenz who previously worked with Neeson in 2021’s “The Marksman”. Here he’s directing from a script penned by Mark Michael McNally and Terry Loane. It places Neeson in a role he knows well – that of old grizzled assassin trying to put his old life behind him. It’s a story that we’ve seen on screen many times over. But this one attempts to set itself apart starting with its distinct setting.

Perhaps the most notable difference with “In the Land of Saints and Sinners” is that it takes place in 1974 Northern Ireland, a turbulent time in Irish history known as The Troubles. Lasting nearly 30 years, The Troubles was a multifaceted conflict rooted in political, nationalistic, and ethnic division. It saw growing civil unrest eventually explode into full-on armed conflict. It’s a setting the filmmakers could have explored further, but they do offer enough to wet our appetites.

The movie opens with a gripping and violent prelude (one of the film’s best sequences) that sees IRA terrorist Doireann McCann (Kerry Condon) carrying out the bombing of a Belfast pub. But after some unexpected and tragic collateral damage, Doireann and her four-man crew find themselves all over the news. As a result, they flee the city and meet up outside of the quiet coastal village of Glencolmcille. There they hide out, regroup, and begin planning their next move.

But what they don’t know is that Finbar Murphy (Neeson), an aging contract killer with the obligatory violent past, is living in Glencolmcille. Finbar has created a new identity for himself and is enjoying the quiet, off-the-grid life. He’s made a number of friends among the locals including the town’s police chief Vinnie O’Shea (the always great Ciarán Hinds) and an attractive widow named Rita (Niamh Cusack). But as you can probably guess (especially if you’ve watched any hitman movie), an occupation like his isn’t easy to keep buried.

After Doireann’s unhinged brother Curtis (Desmond Eastwood) crosses a line with a young mother and her daughter, Finbar takes it upon himself to “handle” the situation. It sets in motion a deadly game of cat and mouse between an elder assassin protecting a small village and ruthless terrorists dead-set on revenge. It’s undeniably a combustible situation although one that never lights the kind of fuse that keeps us on the edges of our seats. That’s because the tension that builds is often zapped by stretches of dialogue that, while sometimes interesting, can grind the excitement to a halt.

A few other good names help fill out the movie’s compelling cast of characters including Jack Gleeson as Kevin, a fellow hired killer with a vaguely defined sense of loyalty to Finbar. There’s also Colm Meaney as Robert, a middle-man and friend of Finbar’s. But it’s Neeson’s show and he delivers what is a nicely tempered and nuanced lead performance. The Oscar-nominated Condon is a welcome addition to any project and she certainly makes Doireann a formidable villain. Unfortunately she’s never asked to be anything beyond fiercely intense and perpetually angry.

“In the Land of Saints and Sinners” is a case of having a lot of pieces that are more compelling than the movie is as a whole. That’s not to say it’s bad. Lorenz smartly leans into the film’s strengths, particularly the stellar cast and its intriguing setting. But the movie too often loses itself in its efforts to balance a violent action film with a talky character drama. It’s an admirable ambition and a nice change of pace from the usual Liam Neeson thrillers. But overall it makes for a pretty mixed bag. “In the Land of Saints and Sinners” hits theaters on March 29th.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS