Burglar, spy, a master of disguise, Simon Templar is a man of mystery, not only to others but also to himself. His exploits have intrigued audiences since his creation by pulp-fiction author Leslie Charteris in 1928. Before this film came along, Charteris' character appeared in a series of late '30s and early '40s programmers (George Sanders is the best-remembered movie "Saint") and in a popular 1960s British television series starring Roger Moore. Of all the versions, this one strays so far from the original character that Charteris' name does not appear in the credits. While there is plenty of action, this rendition presents the Saint (Val Kilmer) in a new light, focusing more on romance and upon the Saint's clever and convincing masquerades. The film opens in the distant past when the spy was a young orphan living in a repressive Catholic School somewhere in Asia. It was there that the spy took on his biblical name (all of his disguises are also named for saints). He engineered a mutiny and breakout among his fellow children. Unfortunately, during the uprising, Templar's first true love loses her life. The story then jumps to modern-day Moscow where Templar is hired by a former communist/Russian mafioso (Rade Serbedzija) who is planning to utilize a new, environmentally friendly and unlimited power source to become the richest, most powerful man in his country. First though, he must steal the formula for "cold fusion" from its inventor, Dr. Emma Russell (Elizabeth Shue), a beautiful American scientist. Templar's assignment is to seduce her and steal that formula. The Saint carefully maps out all the details but does not count on falling in love with his quarry. When he does, he must use all his skills to save them from his murderously enraged employer.