| There Are No Saints | |
| Director: | Alfonso Pineda Ulloa |
| Producer: | Santiago Garcia Galvan Alex García Jose Martinez Jr. |
| Starring: | José María Yazpik Paz Vega Shannyn Sossamon Neal McDonough Ron Perlman Tim Roth |
| Music: | Heitor Pereira |
| Cinematography: | Mateo Londono |
| Editing: | Dan Lebental |
| Studio: | Itaca Films Latam Pictures Open Window Productions BN Films |
| Distributor: | Paramount Pictures Saban Films |
| Country: | United States Mexico |
| Language: | English |
There Are No Saints is a 2022 Mexican-American action thriller film directed by Alfonso Pineda Ulloa, written by Paul Schrader, and starring José María Yazpik, Paz Vega, Ron Perlman and Tim Roth.
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.
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.[1] In 2012, Alfonso Pineda Ulloa replaced Schrader as a director and some actors were replaced.[2] The film has been completed since 2014.[3]
The film was released in theaters and on VOD on May 27, 2022.[4]
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."[5]
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."[6]
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..."[7]