In the gritty New Orleans underbelly, beleaguered Detective Sean Riley is trying to cope with the death of his young son and his failed marriage. Facing a probable suspension from the department, Riley is teamed with a young homicide Detective, Will Ganz, to help solve a series of brutal murders that have plunged the city into a major gang war. The two quickly realize there is something much bigger and far more sinister going on than either could have ever imagined. As head of violent offenders warrant squad, New Orleans Sgt. SEAN REILLY, has seen the worst violence the city has to offer. It's taking its toll on him. Life and death are never more than a breath away and this brutality has become his life. During a routine warrant "serve", Sean's team is ambushed and his partner is viciously killed. Only a year and half removed from the loss of his son and his marriage in the aftermath, this maybe the last straw that finally sends Sean over the edge. Sean's mentor CAPT. TRAHAN senses a change just may help save Sean from the dark place his is heading and he reassigns him to a baffling gangland homicide case that is plaguing the Crescent City's underbelly. Leading the investigation is DET. WILL GANZ, a smart, family man who loves his job but has clearly stumbled onto a case that is out of his element. Someone has been methodically torturing and burning the most notorious gang leaders in the city. The sheer grisliness of killings and total disregard for the victims gang affiliations or rank is something very new and explosive to the already volatile city. The killings unleash a panic throughout the mean streets. A deadly powder keg is set to go off as both Gang member and police alike are on edge waiting for the killers next move. As the clues stack up on the "gangland" case, Sean and Will realize that COLIN, one of Sean's childhood friends, and an ex-soldier he served with, seems to be at the center of their horrible case. The street is buzzing with word that a ruthless paramilitary operative, Crowe, is hunting Colin down to recover video evidence of a friendly fire killing in Afghanistan that has political implications. With an elite multinational paramilitary group breathing down his neck, Crowe will stop at nothing to get the money back in time. Sean and Will must race against the clock to solve the mystery, save Colin and find the money before the merciless Russians do. Determined to not to let each other down, each man must confront their darkest fears and risk the lives of the ones they love the most. But in the end, will either one be able to live with choices they made or the price they pay? Digging through some independent films awhile back and found a gem of a flick in "The Prodigy". After that I started following Will Kaufman to see what he would crank out next. "Sinners and Saints" does NOT disappoint.<br/><br/>The gun battles are fantastic. Some of the best stuff I've seen on camera in a long time. In the action field, Kaufman and company hold their own and then some with major studio productions.<br/><br/>Johnny Strong comes out of nowhere as a Charles Bronson for the new generation. Clint Eastwood would be proud of some of Strong's "Dirty Harry" moments in the flick. Fun performances as well from Method Man, Kim Coates, Louis Mandylor and Costas Mandylor. Wish Kim would have been in the film more.<br/><br/>Fans of the Prodigy will appreciate seeing Holt Boggs, Matt Beckham and Mark Hanson as well as others from the film along side names like Tom Berenger, Bas Rutten and Sean Patrick Flannery.<br/><br/>So many independent films these days are going the horror route or, if they do tackle something like action, they just can't hit the mark. These guys are able to do some amazing stuff with blood, sweat and tears. Can't wait to see what's next. "This is N'Awlins white boy, you ain't seen nothing' yet." After a call goes horribly bad Detective Sean Riley (Strong) is given a new partner. Trying to cope with a failed marriage, the death of his son, and a series of brutal murders that is affecting the entire city he is a very unstable officer. When clues lead to something bigger then either expected it is up to the two new partners to work together and stop the ring before it's too late. Lately the "cop revenge" movies have been very slow and not exciting to watch (Blood Out/Set Up). This one, while slow in parts, is very good. I tried as hard as I could not to compare the two, but this one reminded me of a harsher "Lethal Weapon". There really is nothing new in this movie. A loose cannon of a detective is teamed with a family man who is by the book, the two somehow can work together and yada…yada…yada. Even though this is a movie that has been done to death it is still very enjoyable and very much worth watching. I really enjoyed it. Overall, one of the few repetitive type movies that is exciting and worth a watch. I give it a B+.
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