Saint Jack

This gritty Singapore picture nearly put Peter Bogdanovich back on the map after a string of flops. Its best feature is Ben Gazzara's spectacular performance as the title character, but there's also a good turn from Denholm Elliot. The screenplay is sharp, the locations are perfect and the atmosphere is sleazy. An underrated, neglected gem.

if all movies were just ben gazzara and his scarred old soul wandering around a seedy milieu working and conversing with unusual people/cockatiels and getting into the occasional conflict would The Cinema really lose that much?

There are a few brief glimpses of Robby Muller excellence - nighttime Singapore with splashes of color, crisp shadows and silhouettes - but for the most part you can hardly tell he shot it.

Surprisingly good, thanks to Gazzara's performance. The gritty feel of the 70's stock and the somewhat subpar production values contribute to the sleazy atmosphere of Vietnam-era Singapore. To anyone who has lived there you'll understand why this was banned for 30 years and be amazed at what Clarke Quay used to look like.

Nothing screams 70s male fantasy like the honorable pimp that all the whores adore. This time, we find him on the streets of Singapore from the mind of Paul Theroux and through the eyes of Peter Bogdanovich. But hey! I'm a guy. I love this shit. A few points added for the impeccable casting of Joss Ackland and James Villiers as a couple of insufferable pricks at the hotel bar. They deserved their own movie.

This movie has a shady feel to it and after the first 30 minutes it becomes clear it's part of Bogdanovich's vision. Great job by Ben Gazzara in playing Jack Flowers.

Saint Jack is a movie of almosts. Singapore is almost shot great. Gazzara is almost great. The sleazy atmosphere is almost great. But while there are too many almosts, Saint Jack still manages to be solid because the whole is greater than the sum of its (almost) parts.

A mild recommendation for the performance and setting.

This is a one-man-show with Ben Gazzara giving an electric performance as the titular character. The narrative is loose but we get to watch Gazzara greet, what seems, the entire population of Singapore with a handshake and a quip.