Summary

• Set in 1974 Northern Ireland, In the Land of Saints and Sinners explores ethical dilemmas during violent escalations in the fight for independence. Liam Neeson remembers those times.
• The film stars Neeson and Kerry Condon, offering a gripping portrayal of moral ambiguity within the human condition.
• Neeson praises Condon as a strong actress, highlighting their first-time collaboration in this visually stunning film.

It doesn't get much more Irish than In the Land of Saints and Sinners, a visually gorgeous and ethically ambiguous new film from director Robert Lorenz (Trouble with the Curve). The movie, set in Northern Ireland circa 1974, stars Liam Neeson, Kerry Condon, Jack Gleeson, Colm Meaney, Ciarán Hinds, Sarah Greene, Conor MacNeill, Niamh Cusack, and more, as people whose lives become deeply intertwined in Glencolmcille, a coastal town seemingly safe from the political violence involved in the fight for a free Ireland. Except Neeson's character, Finbar Murphy, has been hiding his violent profession as a hitman.

One of Finbar's hits, however, is a member of a radical section of the I.R.A., who then go looking for their disappeared comrade, threatening Finbar's life and friendly neighbors. An ethical dilemma follows suit, with the film using The Troubles as a backdrop to quietly study the moral ambivalence of the human condition.

"It's set in the '70s," explained Neeson. "I grew up there, surrounded by violence. I was never a part of it, but I was always surrounded by it. So it was interesting to play a piece of 'entertainment' based on those Troubles, as they were euphemistically known as. And to get a chance to work with Ciaran Hinds — I've known Ciaran for 50 years, we're very close friends. And Colm Meaney, I've known Colm for 40 years, we've done a couple of plays together in Ireland in the old days." Neeson added:

So that was lovely and comfortable to be with Irish colleagues again, and just to be able to indulge in one's own Irishness, with the basis of a very good script. I thought it was a terrific script.

Related: Best Liam Neeson Movies, Ranked

Liam Neeson and Kerry Condon Face Off

Alongside Neeson and other aforementioned actors, Kerry Condon has slowly become one of the greatest Irish performers of our time. She has starred in some of the best Irish films of the past 25 years, including Angela's Ashes, Intermission, and The Banshees of Inisherin, along with voicing F.R.I.D.A.Y. in the MCU and giving great performances in films like This Must Be the Place and Unleashed. This is surprisingly the first time that Neeson and Condon have worked together, and Neeson had nothing but praise:

She was terrific. I didn't know Kerry at all. I had seen her in The Banshees of Inisherin, the Martin McDonagh film, which I admired very much. Kerry's terrific, she's such a strong actress. And a good laugh, too.

The production of In the Land of Saints and Sinners found the cast and crew living together on location in the beautiful coastal area. "I shared a house with Ciaran, and it was lovely," explained Neeson. "We were all kind of close by in various little houses, with the magnificent Atlantic Ocean right there."

You can see the beautiful locations and Neeson's soulful performance when In the Land of Saints and Sinners is released March 29 from Samuel Goldwyn Films.