`SAVIOR' LOOKS FOR REDEMPTION IN BOSNIA.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Daily News Film Critic

Guy (Dennis Quaid) is a dead-to-the-world mercenary soldier, fighting for the Serbs in Bosnia, killing whoever moves into the scope of his rifle. It's a long, hard fall for a man who was once a devoted husband and father, but then, Guy no longer enjoys those family ties. His wife (Nastassja Kinski) and son were killed when terrorists bombed a Parisian cafe, a place he had left only moments before.

That's the setup of ``Savior,'' a straightforward telling of one man's redemption in the face of the horrors of war. The film, while often gripping and emotionally involving, suffers somewhat from blurry plot distinctions and an unwillingness to probe more deeply into the psyche of its protagonist. While ``Savior'' certainly works on a rudimentary level, it could have been a better movie, especially considering it was made by acclaimed Serbian director Peter Antonijevic.

Following his family's senseless murder and his own brutal response of vengeance, Guy joins the Foreign Legion and spends six years drifting from one battlefield to the next. He's spiritually dead and emotionally numb, a condition that only worsens when he arrives in Bosnia and is able to satisfy his hatred for Muslims by killing as part of a day's work.

One day, during a prisoner exchange, Guy and his mercenary partner pick up a pregnant woman, Vera (Natasa Ninkovic), about to give birth. The other soldier stands over Vera, ready to shoot the baby once it leaves the womb. Guy, who has seen and inflicted a lot of brutality in his time, simply cannot watch this and kills his partner. This act of humanity has its consequences though, as Guy must now deal with the mother and child, not to mention his reawakened feelings of compassion.

Quaid delivers his best performance in years as a man reclaiming his life after years of emotional devastation. Yugoslavian newcomer Ninkovic also shines in a moving portrayal of the suicidal mother who finds in her child a reason to live. Stellan Skarsgard is also on hand as Guy's best friend in the Foreign Legion.

Director Antonijevic filmed ``Savior'' entirely in Serbia, and he manages to capture an eerie beauty in the war-torn landscape. But Antonijevic, working from a script by Robert Orr (who traveled throughout Bosnia and Croatia during the Yugoslavian conflict working as a photographer's assistant), wants to transcend his locales and give some universal meaning to his movie. But in doing so, he loses the kind of specific details that would have made ``Savior'' more interesting and involving.

The filmmakers also confuse things by not adequately explaining allegiances or giving any kind of context to the country or the conflicts. While this is not fatal to one's enjoyment of ``Savior,'' it does dilute the impact of the film's story and the lessons it means to impart, lessons, sad to say, factions in the former Yugoslavian region continue to ignore to this day.

THE FACTS

The film: ``Savior'' (R; graphic violence and strong language).

The stars: Dennis Quaid, Nastassja Kinski, Stellan Skarsgard and Natasa Ninkovic.

Behind the scenes: Directed by Peter Antonijevic. Screenplay by Robert Orr. Released by Sony Pictures Classics.

Running time: One hour, 42 minutes.

Playing: Laemmle Music Hall, Beverly Hills.

Our rating: Two and one half stars.