Saint Jack

R

Released Apr 27, 1979

1h 52m

Drama

List

72%

18 Reviews

Tomatometer

75%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Jack Flowers (Ben Gazzara) is an American pimp in Singapore, and, although his livelihood is unsavory, he is not morally bankrupt, and makes friends with auditor William (Denholm Elliott). Jack yearns for more than the small-time, though -- his ambition is to open an entire bordello. Meanwhile he gets the squeeze put on him by the local mob for his business dealings, and, to achieve his dream of luxury, he may need to assist in a sinister deal by the CIA to take some compromising photographs.

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Alec B

Gazzara is phenomenal (probably the only guy who could have made this convincing) and I really like the lack of plot which fits the mood of the characters. On top of that, the movie is an astonishing visual record of a Singapore that no longer exists.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Gazzara is phenomenal (probably the only guy who could have made this convincing) and I really like the lack of plot which fits the mood of the characters. On top of that, the movie is an astonishing visual record of a Singapore that no longer exists.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Ben Gazarra playing a part tailor made for him as the seemingly heart of gold albeit not always moral center; rest of amateur cast is quite amateur

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

s r

I enjoyed Singapore having just traveled there. However, I felt myself wondering about the purpose of the movie at the end, but then again maybe there is none and that was on purpose. Saw it on TCM.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Superb character study set in Singapore (filmed secretly to circumvent the nanny state's strict censors) based on Paul Theroux's surprisingly and thoroughly mediocre novel. Bogdanovich plays a CIA type; Monika Subramaniam was a local whom B. took home with him to LA after the movie wrapped up. Bogdanovich's extensive use of local amateurs made this a very authentic film with authentic accents. Denholm Elliot used to hightail it to his local young boyfriend as soon as the day's shooting was done. Gazzara was born for the part, cooler than McQueen and suaver than Bond.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

william k

Good character study, not without humor and irony, with some great lead performances and excellent location cinematography.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Peter Bogdanovich

Director

Ben Gazzara

Jack Flowers

Denholm Elliott

William Leigh

James Villiers

Frogget

Joss Ackland

Yardley

Rodney Bewes

Smale

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Frank Rich

TIME Magazine

If Saint Jack is not another complete embarrassment for Bogdanovich, it nonetheless reveals his deficiencies as a film maker.

Jul 18, 2008

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

Well crafted, finely acted, and conjures up a positively intriguing milieu.

Jul 18, 2008

Full Review

Time Out

Hard to imagine how anyone could make less of such a promising subject.

Feb 9, 2006

Full Review

Jesse Cataldo

Spectrum Culture

Shooting halfway around the world, director Peter Bogdanovich manages to reinvent his style in a minor key with Saint Jack, while retaining the love of sparkling dialogue, gag work, and interpretive pastiche that defined his career.

Apr 26, 2022

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

...a brilliant character study of a reprehensible man who is also a decent human being...

Rated: 4/5

Jun 25, 2021

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...an episodic drama that ultimately benefits quite substantially from its use of real-life Singaporean locations and the superb work of its performers...

Rated: 3/4

Dec 16, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

Jack Flowers (Ben Gazzara) is an American pimp in Singapore, and, although his livelihood is unsavory, he is not morally bankrupt, and makes friends with auditor William (Denholm Elliott). Jack yearns for more than the small-time, though -- his ambition is to open an entire bordello. Meanwhile he gets the squeeze put on him by the local mob for his business dealings, and, to achieve his dream of luxury, he may need to assist in a sinister deal by the CIA to take some compromising photographs.

Director: Peter Bogdanovich
Producer: Edward L. Rissien, Hugh Hefner
Screenwriter: Howard Sackler, Peter Bogdanovich, Paul Theroux
Production Co: Copa Del Oro, Shoals Creek, Playboy Productions Inc.
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 27, 1979, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 1, 2018
Runtime: 1h 52m

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