The Boondock Saints (Truth & Justice Edition) (1999)

It seems like the only way anyone hears about this movie, its either from fanatic word of mouth or from seeing it sitting in Blockbusters. Thats a shame, because this first outing by director Troy Duffy is an extremely cool film that deserves all the attention it can get.

Sean Patrick Flannery and Norman Reedus play two good ole Irish Catholic boys in Boston, who one day get sick of the corruption in the city and begin a bloody crusade to wipe it out. Willem DaFoe plays the FBI agent hot on their trail, who is torn between bringing the mysterious vigilantes to justice, or joining their crusade.

The film is, simply put, cool. Its one of the only movies that actually make going to church look cool. Don't be fooled by the description, however; this is not an action movie. Do not expect blazing gun battles with crazy angles and MTV like editing. This is a film about morality, doing what one thinks is right, and having codes of honour. It's about all those things, and how close they may sometimes get to walking the edge between good and evil.

The two actors who play the Irish vigilantes are great in their roles, playing the boys not as superheroes, but as regular joes with a huge chip on their shoulder. A nice twist in the film is DaFoe's portrayel of the FBI agent, who also happens to be gay. He plays him as a great character without being tempted to dip into stereotypes. Great job by the versatile actor.

This is definately a movie not to be missed. If you are fortunate to see this in your video store, take it out and enjoy.

I love the Boondock Saints. It's funny and action packed all at once. Naturally, when the special edition came out I jumped right on it. But, upon viewing it I realized the only thing extended in the "unrated" edition were the fight scenes. I figured they'd put in all the "deleted scenes" from the special features. I was very disappointed in that. I can't see a glaring difference between the rated/unrated editions. I'm just as happy with my first version, the only thing they seem to make better is the box the dvd comes in.

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It only takes a few minutes to draw a comparison between Troy Duffy's "The Boondock Saints" and almost any Quentin Tarentino film. As I watched this breathtaking movie, I snickered to myself over realizing this little fact. I figured few others would make the connection. Boy, was I wrong! It seems that anyone who has seen "Boondock Saints" immediately thinks of "Pulp Fiction" or "Reservoir Dogs." Moreover, a lot of people do not like the idea of Duffy ripping off such a noble American icon. Perhaps they have forgotten that Tarentino has based his entire career on borrowing or outright ripping off ideas from 1960s and 1970s cinema. I could care less whether Duffy imitated "Pulp Fiction" or whether he arrived at this idea on his own. Hollywood routinely begs, borrows, and steals in an effort to make a buck. The recent trend of remaking older films is only one aspect of this philosophy, so complaining about some filmmaker copying a specific style is a moot point. "The Boondock Saints" is an enormously entertaining way to spend a couple of hours and, despite a few flaws, may attain a cult status rivaling anything made by Quentin Tarentino. This is how it should be.

Connor and Murphy MacManus (Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus respectively) are two Irish brothers who spend their days drinking at the local pub and working in a local meatpacking plant. They don't do much with their free time outside of lounging around their filthy loft and hanging around with unbalanced people like their friend David Rocco, a minor criminal who longs to join the local branch of the mafia. Trouble rears its ugly head when some Russian gangsters move into the neighborhood and threaten to close down the neighborhood bar. After a fistfight leads to a couple of killings in an alley, the boys realize they may be in a spot of trouble with local law enforcement. Actually, they are in more trouble than they realize at first when an FBI agent by the name of Paul Smecker arrives on the scene. The inept local cops stand around throwing out all sorts of weird, implausible theories about these corpses in the alleyway, but Smecker moves in and figures it all out in an enormously hilarious and ingenious way. By slapping on some headphones pumping out classical music and prancing around the scene checking things out, Smecker tells the cops what happened, when it happened, and who probably did it. Sure enough, the MacManus boys sheepishly arrive at the local cop shop, bloodied and bandaged from their tussle with the Russkies, and confess to the crime.

Fortunately for Connor and Murphy, Agent Smecker takes a real shine to these gregarious youngsters and releases them from jail. After all, the whole incident was merely a case of self-defense gone horribly bloody. But something strange happens to the MacManus brothers after this incident; they suddenly think they receive a calling from God to rid the streets of criminals. Checking in at the local armory of the Irish Republican Army (this is Boston, after all) and arming themselves to the teeth, Connor and Murphy use information gleaned from their encounter with the low-level mafia goons to stage a mission against the bosses of the Russian Mob. Other jobs soon follow, all apparently sanctioned and sanctified by the Almighty. The boys are so successful they soon draw in the assistance of David Rocco, who, with his vast knowledge of Boston's underworld, provides a list of criminals who deserve to die. As the body count rises, Smecker comes closer to learning the identities of these homegrown vigilantes. The fact that the FBI agent undergoes a crisis of conscience over the crimes--he quickly realizes these murders are the work of citizens fed up with crime--leads him to secretly help the men responsible for the killings. Throw in a bunch of Mafia thugs, adult film star Ron Jeremy as a doomed hoodlum, a vicious, mystical killer named "Il Duce" (played by Billy Connolly, still atoning for "Head of the Class"), stylish gunplay, and an exploding cat and you have all the makings of this marvelous movie.

"The Boondock Saints" is a film about vigilantism and whether that activity is ever justifiable, although that theme seems to disappear for most of the movie. The conclusion, too, ends up being just a little too implausible, but getting there is a boatload of fun. The best things about Duffy's film are the whipsaw quick dialogue, the hilarious running gags, and Willem Dafoe as Agent Paul Smecker. Dafoe especially deserves accolades for his portrayal of a conflicted FBI agent whose sympathies eventually turn to the MacManus brothers. His way of solving crimes, especially the shootout between Il Duce and the two vigilantes, is not only brilliantly executed but a wonder to watch. Moreover, Smecker's interactions with the local Irish cops provide endless opportunities for great dialogue and hilarious jokes.

Regrettably, a bit of overacting at certain points of the film quickly annoys, as does the failure to provide anything more than lip service to vigilantism and how it pertains to our ultra violent world, but "The Boondock Saints" is so much fun despite these flaws that you will hardly notice them. The DVD includes many extras, such as important deleted scenes, a commentary by Troy Duffy, and a widescreen presentation. There's even talk of an impending sequel, although the absence of the Willem Dafoe character, if the reports are true, could cause significant problems. There is not any other way to say it: if you have not seen "The Boondock Saints," run, do not walk, to the local video store and buy or rent a copy today.

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Connor ( Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy ( Norman Redus) McManus are two fraternal twin brothers that are highly religious and are basically thought of as saints. However, thou shall not kill is the only commandment that they cannot keep. When a sadistic Russian mob starts to force its way into their South Irish Boston neighborhood, they know what they have to do. They set out to rid the streets of every gangster, criminal, and lowlife. In their eyes they are serving God's vengenance. As the bodycount rises, they become local heroes to the world around them. Paul Smecker( Willem Dafoe) is a gay FBI agent who is assigned to the case. While he agrees with the McManus brothers are doing, Paul is forced to do his job. He must now use his extremely unorthodox and brilliant methods of investigation to bring the Mcmanus brothers down.

Before I watched this film, I was very skeptical because the movie came straight to video. However, "Boondock Saints" turned out to be one of the best films I have ever seen. If I had to describe the film, I would classify it as a modern day morality tale that is driven by vengenance and determination. The film features an outstanding mix of comedy and intense action. There are moments in the film when you will be laughing your head off. The dialogue in this film is first rate. There are other moments in the film however, where you will be shocked at the countless violence. The shoot out scenes are extremely well done. Perhaps one of the best things about the film, is the creativity that the McManus brothers use for some of their kills. The performances given in this film are suprisingly good!! Sean Patrick Flannery and Norman Reedus are outstanding as the McManus brothers. However, the best performance of the movie hands down goes to Willem Dafoe as Paul Smecker. It is the best performance of his career in my opinion. Watching Paul work is very entertaining. His methods are unorthodox, intelligent, and entertaining!

Overall, "Boondock Saints" is a great film. It features an excellent mix of comedy and action, the gunplay in this film is first rate, and the performances given from the actors involved could not have been better. The DVD is very affordable and has commentary by writer and director Troy Duffy, deleted scenes, and outtakes. The presentation of the film is also excellent and delivers top notch picture and sound quality.

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There are movies that when they are initially released are underground successes that suddenly and without warning become iconic when they reach the mainstream audience once they are released on VHS/DVD. Can Boondock Saints be considered one of these rare films? Definitely!

The titular Saints are two Irish brothers, Connor and Murphy McManus (Sean Patrick Flannery and Norman Reedus) who find themselves turned from ordinary citizens in their Irish neighborhood in South Boston into vigilante heroes on a self-ordained mission of God to rid their neighborhood of the Russian Mob.

It starts when they get into a fistfight in their local bar and nearly end up getting killed by the mobsters who visited the bar, but instead end up killing the mobsters in the most inventive way imaginable. However, the duo believe that they are messengers of God's vengeance and go on a violent seek and destroy mission to get the head boss, teaming up with one of their closest friends (David Della Rocco).

Meanwhile, as the body count begins to rise, an FBI agent (Willem Dafoe) with a few eccentricities is assigned to the case and uses his unique way of reconstructing what happened at the crime scenes (which we vividly see in the flashbacks) in such a way that makes the team of CSI look more like grade school rookies.

As the two sides converge on the ultimate climax in the final battle to take down the boss, a third unexpected variable is thrown into the mix when (via flashback)a mysterious gunman with some tie to the Saints (I won't give it away)appears at one ot the crime scenes.

The film is definitely an amazing debut for director Troy Duffy, using actors who really make you feel the story and relationships (especailly Flannery and Reedus) as it progresses to the end and characters that (at times unintentionally) make you laugh out loud. And there are some scenes that are violent yet stylish and fun and one scene involving a cat and a gun that might stun some and make others bust a gut, and I know from personal experience when I saw this scene for the first time.

There are some rumors that a possible Boondock Saints 2 is in the works, and if so I'm definitely in to see it but hopefully it will be released to a much wider base than the original. But if you like a little vigilantism with a touch of dark humor, then you definitely have to get the Boondock Saints.

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