Liam Neeson in 1974 in Northern Ireland

1974 was during the height of the religious unrest in Northern Ireland. A World War II veteran, Finbar Murphy (Liam Neeson) leads a quiet life in a small Irish village. He lives by himself, he goes target shooting cans on a fence in the countryside with his friend, the local policeman, and his widowed neighbor would like him to be more interested in her than he is. But he leads a double life. He is also a hitman working for the underworld, murdering his targets in cold blood after he has them dig their own graves.

Doiraenn McCann (Kerry Cordon) is the gang leader of  a group of IRA rebels who set car bombs in front of restaurants to target their ideological enemies. When Finbar notices that a young girl in town is being controlled and abused by a thug, he helps her out and in the process ends up killing him. The guy turns out to be Doiraenn’s brother, and she wants revenge.

This sets off the opening of a small war between Finbar and the IRA terrorists that quickly escalates.

There are no good guys in this story, only victims. In the Land of Saints and Sinners highlights the absurdity of the Northern Ireland conflict of the 1970ies without lecturing about religion or politics. Small lives, small towns and everyday people suffer at the hands of those who think they have justice or righteousness on their side. Lives are shattered, lives are lost, and after it’s all done, dreariness and hopelessness continues on.

It does make you think.