The Boondock Saints

The Boondock Saints (1999)
Indican Pictures / 20th Century Fox
Directed by Troy Duffy
Starring Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, Willem Dafoe, Billy Connolly

Revenge films are not new in Hollywood. Neither are films about punishing the evil. These vigilante films have been around well before The Adventures of Robin Hood in 1939. Troy Duffy’s The Boondock Saints features two brothers who decide to hunt down and kill the wicked and evil gangsters of Boston after receiving a message from God, a much different tone from Robin Hood. The two Irish brothers, Connor and Murphy MacManus (Flanery and Reedus), set out on their own crusade to take down the Italian mafia. Hot on their trail is FBI Special Agent Smecker (Dafoe) who wants to bring down the “Saints.”

The Boondock Saints feels like a knock-off Tarantino film with its flashbacks, humor, and action sequences, but in all three aspects its fails to be like the cinematic icon. The flashbacks within the film can be annoying. When an action sequence is about to begin, it cuts and shows the police with Smecker reenacting what happened before the audience is allowed to witness. This method stops the flow of the film. The humor is corny and usually not necessary. But in a film such as this, it is necessary to have some humor. However, this much humor can kill the tone, especially if it is bad humor that no one finds funny. The action sequences are entertaining, but are not very original or exciting. Many of the sequences are in slow motion to add effect to Smecker’s stories. There are a few good scenes such as the rope scene and the shootout with The Duke. Other than those few scenes the action is subpar and mediocre to many action revenge films.

There are many mixed messages at play in The Boondock Saints as well. There is a theme of responsibility for your actions and doing what is right throughout the film, but they are overcast by a major theme of punishing the evil. The Saints were told by God to kill evil people, and that makes it right? It is a very confusing message that the film plays upon, but never fully delves into. The Saints take the law into their own hands and are idolized by the people of Boston for doing what the law cannot. Another strange aspect to this message is that the police eventually begin to side with the Saints and do whatever they can to help them in their crusade. Not exactly the best message for an action film aimed at young adults. The social context of The Boondock Saints shows how the justice system is flawed in America, and that someone needs to take a stand and change it.

In the end, The Boondock Saints is a low budget action revenge film that features above average acting and some impressive action sequences. It does feature some bad dialogue and sequences, but for a Tarantino “want-to-be,” it does work. Though having some misleading messages about anyone taking the law into their own hands, it is a definite cult film that young male adults will highly enjoy. It’s a popcorn flick that tries to break out of that stereotype, but cannot fully make the jump.

Rating: C-


June 13, 2010


The Boondock Saints: Unrated Special Edition (2006)

The only addition to The Boondock Saints in this unrated edition is the extra scenes of violence in the action shots. They are barely noticeable and add no dimension to the film. The film still has the same running time.

Rating: C-


June 13, 2010