SummaryTwo Catholic vigilante killers from Boston (Flannery, Reedus) who believe they are doing God's work kill members of the Russian mob and customers of a porn shop, but instead of paying for their crimes, they are praised as "saints" by the local newspaper and by an odd FBI agent (Dafoe).
SummaryTwo Catholic vigilante killers from Boston (Flannery, Reedus) who believe they are doing God's work kill members of the Russian mob and customers of a porn shop, but instead of paying for their crimes, they are praised as "saints" by the local newspaper and by an odd FBI agent (Dafoe).
(Duffy) navigates the twisted collision of religious faith and the thrill of the kill, altruism and brutality, with an ingenious mix of humor, horror, mysticism, and just plain hipness.
More interested in finding fresh ways to stage execution scenes than in finding meaning behind the human urge for self-appointed righting of wrongs, (the film) is stuffed with effects that have no lasting impact.
This movie is absolutely 100 percent just amazing. The characters though doing what some might call bad things for very good reasons. You are behind them whole time and are super relatable to the every man type character.
(Duffy's) assembled a fine cast -- it's hard to take your eyes off the two young leads -- but he's given them little to do but squeeze triggers and mouth platitudes.
As written and directed by newcomer Troy Duffy, The Boondock Saints is all style and no substance, a film so gleeful in its endorsement of vigilante justice that it almost veers (or ascends) into self-parody.
Coming from someone who has grown up around irish bostonians I could understand this movie to a point that all questions critics are saying can be answered. This films use of violence is not unnecessary and is not just used to look cool. The director films the movie in such away so we do not just see them running in and wasting every body in a room. Almost every killing seen is told by the eyes of the law. this movie showcases the battle between holy law and federal law. And is a unique spin on vigilantly justice and its stress on everyone effected by it. This film did an excellent job of showing the questioning of ones morales when faced with "an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth". The Boondocks saints Made the audience think of the difference between true Justice and Federal law.
The comedy derives from the ridiculous incompetencies of the protagonists and antagonists. Too often the film relies on its over-the-top self awareness to deliver the laughs, but there's enough here to warrant a watch or two.
A bit of vigilante fantasy that manages to be one of the weirdest movies I've ever watched. It's eccentric characters lead to a lot of memorable moments. The action is also well-crafted, but the film regularly gets distracted with side-excursions into juvenile and crass comedic material. There are so many moments that don't contribute anything to the overall plot, but are made entertaining by just how odd they are. Occasionally they can be tasteless, such as a scene where one of the side-characters is forced to tell a racist joke to his crime boss. We're supposed to laugh at just how uncomfortable and floundering the character is when having to try to make his serious and dangerous employer laugh, but the only amusement I got was from the fact that it was included in the first place.
When the movie is focusing on the crime-scene investigations and flashbacks to actual hits on the mob bosses, you can tell it's a pretty well put together little film and certainly a unique one at that. Willem Dafoe's performance in endlessly enjoyable. His dialog is hilarious (mostly because of his delivery) and I was shocked to see just how far both he and the movie were willing to go in some cases. It's a pretty crazy experience right from the start, but blows up into an all out circus in it's final act. It's also worth noting that Norman Reedus would regularly slip in and out of his Irish accent throughout.
Those hoping for a thoughtful look at the moral ambiguity of an "eye for an eye" mindset will be disappointed. What few questions it does raise in regards to the validity of answering violent crime with just as violent justice are reserved for the very end of the movie and aren't explored at all. It's easy to tell where writer and director Troy Duffy stands on the matter though. No, The Boondock Saints is much more concerned with brutal wish fulfillment and immature humor. It values blood and bullets more than a brain.
I can't say I liked this movie or that it's even particularly good film, but there was never a dull moment. This strange tale about two very Irish brothers who have a spiritual experience that tells them to go out and kill all those criminals who seem to regularly slip through the cracks in the justice system is one brimming with personality. So much so in fact, that it gets in it's own way by trying to do it's own thing far too often and branches out in directions that feel pointless and unnecessary. The Boondock Saints is not going to click with everyone. A lot of us will be better off just sticking with The Punisher for our vigilante needs. However those who value originality no matter how peculiar might find a hidden gem with this one.
To this very day, the quintessential exemplification of a cult classic. There is no in-between on this one, either you love it or hate it. Absolutely void of content and substance with style to spare. Side step this one unless you find non-sensical violence, Ron Jeremy, and William Dafoe in drag captivating.
This film is garbage. The archetype of low brow bro culture, cherished by men (boys) with descriptive vocabularies limited to word like "sick" and "tight". Puerile at best, offensive at worst. Save yourself the time/exhaustion and look elsewhere.
Production Company
Franchise Pictures,
Brood Syndicate,
Fried Films,
The Lloyd Segan Company,
Chris Brinker Productions,
B.D.S. Productions Inc.,
CB Productions