Vendetta for the Saint (1968)

Roger Moore starred as novelist Leslie Charteris's globe-trotting, mercenary adventurer Simon Templar in a 1963-67 television series, as well as the subsequent, agreeable TV feature Vendetta for the Saint. Set against an appealingly sunny Sicilian backdrop, Vendetta finds Templar, an elegant thief and ethical busybody, outraged when a British banker is murdered after he recognizes an old colleague-turned-Mafia kingpin. The ruthless crime boss, Alessandro Destamio (Ian Hendry), having faked his death during a staged bank robbery, makes several attempts on Templar's life while the latter probes the villain's business and family. (Of course, being Templar, he also dates Destamio's innocent niece and shares a kiss with the bad guy's beleagured mistress.) Vendetta for the Saint is full of small pleasures, including a nice supporting role by Marco Ponti as a police detective who confides in Templar, and Aimi MacDonald as a lost soul trying to escape Destamio's reach. --Tom Keogh Amazon.com

An avenging Saint . . .

Vendetta for the Saint, published in 1963 was Leslie Charteris's last full length Saint novel. The story was featured as a two-part episode of "The Saint" TV program in 1969. Starring Roger Moore as Simon Templar, the programs were repackaged as a feature, with additional music and opening credits added. Edwin Astley's opening theme is one of his best musical creations for the Saint.

Euston, an Englishman on holiday in Naples, believes that a man in a restaurant is someone he worked with years before. The other man insists that he is mistaken, claiming that his name is "Al Destamio". After the encounter, Templar has a brief chat with Euston, and is extremely troubled the following day when the Englishman turns up dead from a knife wound in the back. Thus starts the '"vendetta", as The Saint is determined to discover why an innocent man died.

The leader of the Mafia is dying and will name a successor soon. Destamio (Ian Hendry) is one of the prime candidates, and can't afford to have Templar snooping around into his past, and orders his lieutenants to eliminate him. Simon continues probing into Destamio's roots, making contact with his non-Mafia family in Sicily, quickly becoming close to his lovely young niece Gina (Rosemary Dexter). A car bomb fails to send The Saint to heaven, but his halo is dented when he is captured while investigating the Destamio family crypt.

Templar's daring escape from the Mafia's mountain stronghold is probably one of the most exciting sequences in the entire series. Dropping down a mountainside, and into the verdant countryside, he is pursued by the full force of the Mafia. Time after time, Templar escapes detection and avoids capture until he reaches safely. Realizing he needs help to take on the Mafia, Simon enlists the aid of a military task force. They raid the stronghold, and capture a collection of the top Mafiosi, including Big Al himself.

The made for TV presentation is mostly faithful to Charteris's original story. Roger Moore is at his swashbuckling best, bringing both fire and humor to his performance. In books, The Saint was a much more ruthless character than on TV, but in this particular tale Roger Moore comes close to capturing that original spirit, playing Simon Templar with a hard edge, and wielding a shotgun at close range with deadly results. Ian Hendry may be a trifle miscast as Destamio, he growls and mumbles, but isn't truly menacing. Rosemary Dexter, is quite charming, and one of the most striking young actresses to appear in the series.

Previously available on VHS, this two part adventure is now included in The Saint Set 7, a two DVD collection. The complete catalog of color episodes of this classic 60's adventure is also available on DVD. January 21, 2004

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