The Boondock Saints (film)

The Basics: This is a 1999 movie written and directed by Troy Duffy. It had a limited budget of $6 million, and then it saw a limited release to only five theaters for one week. Under such conditions, it brought in a poor $30,000. However, it made an astonishing $50 million in domestic home video sales and developed a strong cult following. Critics hate this movie, but fans can’t get enough.

Plot: The story follows two Irish brothers as they kill those they deem to be evil. The two first kill a couple of mobsters in self defense, but then have an epiphany that they can make the world a better place by killing evil doers. So they grab their buddy Rocco (David Della Rocco) and proceed to do just that. It isn’t the most thought-provoking or emotional story you’ve ever heard, but it’s pretty sweet. The other half of the story follows detective Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe) as he pieces together the events at the crime scenes and searches for the killers. This part of the storytelling is brilliant. The action scenes are played out only as Smecker figures them out. You see the saints kill the bad guys and the detective interpret the crime scene at the same time, which makes for some pretty awesome sequences. So the story is fair enough, and the delivery is both entertaining and somewhat unique.

Acting: The two saints are played by Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus. They are great characters with a strong sense of justice, great marksmanship, and a bit of wit. You’ll be rooting for them from the very beginning. David’s Rocco’s character is well played, but I’m not quite as fond of him. He yells everything and flips out all the time. It mostly just stresses me out when he’s on screen. The real star of the show is Willem Dafoe. He gives a great performance as a disturbed, homosexual, and absolutely brilliant detective. His character is nuts, but he is a genius and it’s really fun to watch him do his thing. This is a great cast of lesser-known actors, and the characters are a ton of fun.

Effects: With such a wimpy budget, nothing TOO epic or explosive occurs. However, there are plenty of slow motion action scenes. The action sequences are really great because they are violent, epic, slightly dark humored, and visually pleasing all at the same time. Special effects are used appropriately and look good, but aren’t too extreme or plentiful.

Additional Comments: I have to mention that I know the film is rated R, but the use of inappropriate language in this film is rampant. It’s actually kind of incredible the amount of times they drop the f-bomb. Rocco goes on a thirty second burst of just screaming the word over and over when one of the characters remarks, “Well, that certainly illustrates the diversity of the word” which was pretty funny. Anyway, if severe language bothers you, then you may want to wait until this comes on television.

Conclusion: This movie was dropped by big studios, despised by critics, and underfunded; but it is still a great film. The characters are great, the action is great, and it has a massive cult following. The film is simply fun to watch. Despite production trouble and lots of negativity, Troy Duffy has made a name for himself by creating this underdog of a movie.

Buy, Rent, or Pass?

Buy- This is a great movie for a rainy day. It simply a good little movie and is worth your time. It is a ‘Buy’ because it almost just as fun to watch again. Also, this isn’t a pricey movie to pick up. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to spare a few bucks to pick this one up and have it in your collection.