[year/rating] 1999 R [genre] Crime Action [director] Troy Duffy [starring] Willem Dafoe Sean Patrick Flanery Norman Reedus David Della Rocco

Tagline

Thy Kingdom Come. Thy Will Be Done.

Summary Capsule

Twins take the fight back to the gangs, cleaning up Boston neighborhoods

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Justin's Rating: A four-leaf clover of VENGEANCE!
Justin's Review: There are two schools of vigilante justice, which I’ll call Superman and Batman. Both schools operate under the justification that while the law and police are generally good and to be supported, they’re just not doing the job right, innocent people are being violated by criminals, and something else needs to be done. However, while Superman chooses to voluntarily subject himself to the laws of the society he’s trying to protect -- by merely capturing and bringing criminals to justice within the bounds of the law -- Batman has often considered himself under no such restriction. Batman has placed himself above the law, and generally vowed to do whatever it takes to bring the bad guys down.

"It’s a bit like CSI, but much more interesting. And more Irish."

Our two Lucky Charms protagonists of The Boondock Saints are quite the Batman fellows. Irish, witty and religious, brothers Connor and Murph get God’s permission to whack every bad guy in Boston after defending themselves from the Russian mob. Buckle up, this might take a while. There’s a lot of bad guys out there.

This is an extremely odd cult flick, in that we’re actually encouraged to root both for the police and the criminals (the "good" criminals, not the bad ones). Our brothers don’t start out bad, and within their hearts, they never betray their singular quest, even when it puts them in danger by being captured by police they could easily kill. Unskilled and hot-tempered, Connor and Murph seem to receive supernatural aid as they start tracking down and killing mobsters and criminals left and right. Does this make their acts wrong or right? Whatever you decide, at least we can all agree it’s pretty entertaining.

Torn between approving of the boys’ ability to punish criminals that otherwise go untouched by justice and having to track them down is FBI agent Smecker (Willem Dafoe). He’s smart but a difficult person to put a finger on: he’s antagonistic to the police he works with, he listens to classical music while solving crimes, and at one point, he dresses completely in drag. Dafoe in drag, just a warning. In the best twist of this film, we’re introduced to the brothers’ crime scenes after the fact, allowing Smecker to come in, deduce what happened while the crime rages around him in a melded scene combining the present and past flashback. It’s a bit like CSI, but much more interesting. And more Irish.

I didn’t take to an instant shine to this movie the first time around, but movie peer pressure does work wonders sometimes. The Boondock Saints is immensely popular for a film I bet you don’t even remember ever seeing in the theaters. It’s not just the crime, or the gun fights, or the slow-motion bits, or even the vicarious pleasure of living through someone else’s vigilantism. What caps this film off and places it above the noisy crowd of a million gangster/crime flicks is the little touches of oddity (such as one poor cat that accidentally gets shot during a pivotal moment) and the funny, intense bond between the brothers. For a movie that uses so many F-words, this is quotable for decades to come.

Despite being brutal, remorseless killers, you’ll be surprised how much you come to like the brothers. They’re the hard-edged heroes of a hundred video games, the tarnished sword necessary to take down the greater evil. This is The Untouchables for a new generation. What are you prepared to do, when evil’s on its way? Either dress up as a flying rodent or start packing heat with a family member, that‘s what.

Someone here got shortchanged when they were handing out pistols "Mom! Grampa's off his rocker again!" Well, that's got to be good for your eardrums

Didja Notice? [some sources: IMDb]

• Where we get "rule of thumb" from
• The bartender mixing his proverbs
• The brothers cheating on the hand slap game
• Slo-mo bottle smashing
• Toilet Bombs!
• How many languages do they speak?
• Mafia Dons like racist jokes
• The ultimate weapon shopping spree!
• Rope is important
• Pennies in the eyes
• Television and movies have much to teach us
• The brothers fighting in the vent
• There’s always a guy who jumps over the sofa and you have to shoot him for ten minutes, too
• The cat… is toast!
• Rocko doesn’t know how to pack
• How porno booths work
• The prison is shaped like a cross
• How to close your wounds with a heating iron
• The Latin tattoos "Veritas" and "Aequitas" on the brothers' hands mean "verity (truth)" and "equity (justice)", respectively.

Is It Worth Staying Through End Credits?

Clips of people being interviewed about their opinions on the brothers are shown while the credits roll.

Intermission! [some sources: IMDb]

The Boondock Saints is also the name of writer/director Troy Duffy's band.

The F-word is used 246 times in this film.

Groovy Quotes

Murphy: You and your f***ing rope.

Monsignor: We must always fear the wicked. But there is another kind of evil that we must fear the most, and that is the indifference of good men.
Connor: I do believe the monsignor's finally got the point.
Murphy: Aye.

Doc: You know what they say: People in glass houses sink sh... sh... sh... ships.
Rocco: I got to buy you a proverb book or something, because this mix 'n' match s**t's got to go.
Doc: What?
Connor: Well, a penny saved is worth two in the bush, isn't it?
Murphy: And don't cross the road if you can't get out of the kitchen.

Murphy: So you're Chekov, huh? Well, this here's McCoy. Find a Spock, we got us an away team.

Connor: Now you will receive us.
Murphy: We do not ask for your poor, or your hungry.
Connor: We do not want your tired and sick.
Murphy: It is your corrupt we claim.
Connor: It is your evil that will be sought by us.
Murphy: With every breath, we shall hunt them down.
Connor: Each day we will spill their blood, 'til it rains down from the skies.
Murphy: Do not kill. Do not rape. Do not steal. These are principles which every man of every faith can embrace.
Connor: These are not polite suggestions, these are codes of behavior, and those of you that ignore them will pay the dearest cost.
Murphy: There are varying degrees of evil. We urge you lesser forms of filth, not to push the bounds and cross over, in to true corruption, into our domain.
Connor: For if you do, one day you will look behind you and you will see we three, and on that day you will reap it.
Murphy: And we will send you to whatever god you wish.

Murphy: That was way easier than I thought it would be.
Connor: Aye.
Murphy: On TV you always have that guy that jumps over the sofa...
Connor: And then you've got to shoot at him for ten f***ing minutes.
Murphy: We're good.
Connor: Yes, we are.

Murphy: We're sorta like 7-11. We're not always doin' business, but we're always open.
Connor: That was nicely put.

Connor, Murphy: And shepherds we shall be, for thee my Lord for thee, Power hath descended forth from thy hand, that our feet may swiftly carry out thy command, we shall flow a river forth to thee, and teeming with souls shall it ever be. In nomine patris, et filii... et spiritus sancti.

Connor: Well, that certainly illustrates the diversity of the word.

DVD Review

The extras included are the theatrical trailer, deleted scenes, outtakes, and some filmography info.

Soundtrack Review

Incredible scores and techno songs underline this film from start to finish -- if only we could grab a copy!

If you liked this movie, try these:

• The Untouchables
• Pulp Fiction
• The Long Kiss Goodnight