In the Land of Saints and Sinners (2024) Ending Explained

In the Land of Saints and Sinners Plot Summary

Liam Neeson stars as a hitman named Finbar Murphy in this new thriller from director Robert Lorenz.

This isn’t the first time the two men have worked together as they previously collaborated on The Marksman, another film featuring Neeson in action-man mode.

In this ending explained article for In the Land of Saints and Sinners, we recap elements of the plot and discuss the film’s climax.

As expected, this article does contain plot spoilers, so be mindful of that before heading in!

How does In the Land of Saints and Sinners begin?

The film begins in Belfast in 1974. In the tense opening scene, we meet Doireann McCann (Kerry Condon) who is part of an IRA group that has set up a bomb in a pub.

Tragedy happens when two young kids and their mother are killed in the ensuing bomb blast, which has an effect on Doireann, as she didn’t want children to be caught up in the explosion.

We then move to the quaint village of Gleann Colm Cille, in Donegal, which is where Finbar Murphy currently resides. He’s a beloved member of the community but unbeknownst to most, he’s an ex-army man who is now under the employ of Robert McQue (Colm Meaney), a local crime boss.

After collecting what he is owed for one of his killings, Finbar decides it’s time to quit and encourages Robert to take on a new man – a young chap named Kevin (Jack Gleeson) – for any future jobs.

Does Finbar retire from the killing business?

Once a hitman always a hitman, is a phrase that probably doesn’t exist!

But for Finbar, giving up his past life isn’t easy. While he tries to make a new life for himself, tending to his garden and cultivating a romance with his neighbour, Rita ( Niamh Cusack), he is called back into action when he notices bruises on Moya ( Michelle Gleeson), the young daughter of the local bartender Sinead (Sarah Greene).

Responsible for these bruises is Curtis (Desmond Eastwood), who is dating Sinead and just so happens to be one of Doireann’s brothers. Finbar takes on one last mission with Curtis as his final victim, but after the two of them tussle, Curtis almost gets the better of the ageing hitman.

Thankfully, Kevin arrives on the scene, after being told to keep an eye on Finbar by Robert, and he kills Curtis. Following the shooting, the two men bond over their future dreams.

How does Doireann find out about her brother’s death?

After Curtis goes missing, Doireann does some digging around and eventually arrives at Robert’s home in Donegal. He confesses that Curtis is probably dead but insists that he had nothing to do with it.

When pleading for his life, Robert tells her Finbar killed her brother. Regardless of this fact, she still shoots him dead, much to the horror of his mother, who Doireann doesn’t kill because the old lady hasn’t seen her face.

Does Doireann track down Finbar?

Doireann finds out where Finbar lives and ransacks his house. She also knocks out his neighbour Rita. Finbar witnesses this from a distance. When he confronts her a short while later, he agrees to meet her at the local pub where he will disclose who hired him to kill Curtis.

At the pub, the two meet as arranged. Along with Doireann are some of her cohorts, who keep watch from various positions inside and outside the pub. They have been instructed to blow up the pub should Finbar make his escape.

Doireann and Finbar sit down together and have a tense discussion. When their conversation heats up, Kevin arrives on the scene and makes a threatening gesture towards Doireann. She responds by shooting him in the gut.

A shootout begins, in which a dying Kevin shoots Doireann before she kills Finbar.

Doireann flees the scene, during which time her associates are killed by Finbar. She limps to the church, where she sits and ponders her life choices as she slowly dies. When Finbar shows up, she asks him to shoot her, but he declines as he knows her time is already up. He tells her to make her peace with God.

In the Land of Saints and Sinners Ending Explained – Why does Finbar leave the village?

At the end of the film, Finbar makes his final goodbye to Rita. He then gets into his car and leaves the village.

His decision to leave is probably borne out of consideration for Rita and the other people in Gleann Cholm Cille. He has lived a violent past, something which he can’t escape from. But by leaving to start life elsewhere, there’s a chance that the people of the village will now be able to leave peacefully. As local crime boss Robert is dead, the chances of this happening have definitely improved.

Will Finbar leave a peaceful life too? We don’t know, but if there’s to be a sequel to In the Land of Saints and Sinners, we guarantee he won’t be retiring from his action-man lifestyle anytime soon.

In the Land of Saints and Sinners (2024) Ending Explained – Why does Finbar leave the village?