There Are No Saints


There Are No Saints is a 2022 action thriller film directed by Alfonso Pineda Ulloa, written by Paul Schrader, and starring José María Yazpik, Paz Vega, Ron Perlman and Tim Roth.

Premise

The Jesuit, a former gang enforcer who has been wrongly imprisoned, seeks revenge after his ex-wife is murdered by her vicious new husband, who kidnaps his son and takes him to Mexico. Joined by a stripper named Inez, he embarks on a quest to get his son back and avenge his fallen life.

Cast

Production

The project, originally titled The Jesuit, was first announced in 2010 with Paul Schrader also directing. Willem Dafoe, Michelle Rodriguez, Paz Vega and Manolo Cardona were set to star. In 2012, Alfonso Pineda Ulloa replaced Schrader as a director and some actors were replaced. The film has been completed since 2014.

Release

The film was released in theaters and on VOD on May 27, 2022.

Reception

Mark Hanson of Slant Magazine awarded the film two and a half stars out of four and wrote, "At its best, Alfonso Pineda Ulloa's film gleefully embodies the grungy spirit of classic exploitation cinema."
Julian Roman of MovieWeb gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Famed screenwriter Paul Schrader goes ultra gritty in a bloody actioner that savages the innocent. The narrative suffers from generic action tropes; but gets a pass for its brutal characters and willingness to defy convention."
Josh Bell of Comic Book Resources gave the film a negative review and wrote that it's "full of the hallmarks of a movie that's been extensively retooled in post-production..."