Sinners and Saints Review 2004
By
Ryan Lies is a No-Fi Magazine

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Sinners and Saints is an over-the-top, blasphemous sex and blood fest from indie directors Melantha Blackthorne and Jason Cavalier, and it just might be one of goofiest and flat-out entertaining underground, DIY movies I've seen all year.

Never once taking itself seriously, Sinners tells the story of Father Carmichael Drake Jason Cavalier), a sword-wielding, kung-fu priest, and his sexy, balls-kicking sidekick Sister Jordan Merrick (Liz Faure). Together they are summoned by Necrotia, the Queen of Hell (Melantha Blackthorne), with a rebellion forming in Hades. While on their way to this rendezvous with the underworld, they must battle satanic cops who are kidnapping young girls and sacrificing them (and, occasionally, raping them in cemeteries.)

Sinners doesn't try to be anything more than what it is, and is balls-out fun because of it. While at times Blackthorne and Cavalier get carried away with the hellish sex scenes and WAY-outrageous action sequences, they manage to keep the story simple and on track throughout.

Don't be surprised if along the way you set concerns about the story aside, and just revel in the rampant deviancy on screen, however. No offensive, gory, or just plain obnoxious stone is left unturned as the mayhem unfolds.

Cavalier's action set-pieces are quite awesome to behold, as people flip and fly through the air Jet Li style. For a shot-on-video production, I was pretty damn impressed. Limbs are hacked, a nun's tits come flying out of her habit (and she keeps fighting, while one of the demonic police officers starts to jerk off), and in one completely ridiculous (and I mean that in a good way) moment, a man's entire penis is kicked up through his body and out his mouth. The special FX here are a bit hokey, but it works anyway.

And this is just the beginning of the movie. There's more to follow, and the insanity never lets up. As if the filmmakers just said “We don't care about a low budget, or that we're shooting on video ... lets just make this as wild as possible.” And believe me, they do. All the while, some great, throaty death-metal grinds in the background.

And there are visual jokes galore. The priest eats Christos cereal. Sister Jordan lives at Lady of the Righteous Fist Battle Convent. A "JESUS DIGS ME" sticker is seen on Father Carmichael's bumper (by the way, I want one!) There's even a GPS, Vatican satellite bearing the moniker Vat-Sat: Ezekial 2.16. (I laughed out loud at that one.)

The only drawback to the movie is that there is sometimes a little too much editing, and, occasionally, an over-reliance on digital, post-production gimmickry. Said gimmicks, while interesting to look at, seemed a bit unnecessary to me. But that's a minor quibble. These things didn't subtract from my enjoyment of the flick at all.

Sinners reminded me of the good, tasteless movies Troma used to make. It is, in fact a lot more entertaining than some of the unwatchable dreck Troma has been putting out as of late (Toxic Avenger 4, anyone?) Cavalier and Blackthorne are quite talented and know what makes a good exploitation flick work.

With wonderfully choreographed fight scenes, lots of boobs, guns and spurting blood (and the occasional severed-dead rape) Sinners and Saints is one to check out. A lot of these homemade, DIY, shot-on-video movies are hard to get through, but this one is a hell of a lot of devilish fun from the get-go. Great late-night, six-pack viewing.

A definite must for fans of The Toxic Avenger, Street Trash, Rabid Grannies, Class of Nuke 'Em High or Bad Taste.

(Ryan Lies is a No-Fi "Magazine" Staffwriter
and kicks arse in the name of the lord)