Directed by:
Troy DuffyScreenplay:
Troy DuffyCinematography:
Adam KaneComposer:
Jeff DannaCast:
Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, David Della Rocco, Billy Connolly, David Ferry, Gerard Parkes, Jeanna Fine, Kevin Chapman, Troy Duffy (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
Boston, Massachusetts. Home of clam chowder, the Red Sox and Harvard. Home, too, to some of the roughest, toughest criminals ever to walk the streets. When the bungling McManus brothers, Conner (Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus), inadvertently end up taking out a pair of Russian Mafiosi, they realise they've found their calling and embark on a mission to cleanse their city of criminals, inspired by the tactics of on-screen vigilantes like Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson. But their vigilante antics soon attract the attention of Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe), an FBI agent with his own unique approach to fighting crime, setting the stage for an epic confrontation that will redefine the words truth and justice. (Arrow Films)
(more)Reviews (10)
An inventive screenplay and direction from Duffy (the ingeniously written scene with the reconstruction of the shoot-out) that any would-be action director would have been proud of. Excellent acting performances both by the main two or the directing Willem Dafoe give the movie an inimitable atmosphere. I hope that Troy Duffy gets enough dough for part two so that the Saints can pull out all the stops again. 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. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee, and teeming with souls shall it ever be. In nomine Patris. Et Filii. Et Spiritus Sancti.
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Two self-proclaimed angels of justice are crushed through the grinder of bland "post-Tarantino" dialogue, and it’s not helped by any attempt at a vigorous narrative style. Duffy sets up the whole situation very casually, without emphasis on the absurdity of the plot (one cat can't save it) and the comic hyperbole it draws from. The main duo is accurate, and so is Dafoe’s detective, but they all flounder in a situation that begins and ends with the opening sermon in the church.
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Well, I was flabbergasted. This isn't just any ordinary crime/thriller, this is a proper gritty film about two brothers who decide to take justice into their own hands as two saints who are chosen to rid the world of filth. There's also the great Willem Dafoe, who is breathtaking as the policeman. A big surprise!
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Those were the days when they didn't know how to do comic book stuff yet. If it had the aesthetic of a darker Marvel or normal DC today, it could be a blast. But The Boondock Saints has a bit of a blowhard Ritchie and a bit of a whiny Tarantino, with some solid screenwriting in places, but nothing more. The few interesting moments cannot overcome the utter aesthetic chaos and confusing directorial style. I’d be interested in a remake, because the material does have potential.
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Tarantino's poetics, a lot of violence peppered with hyperbole in places, "fuck" following every other word, brisk direction by Duffy with a few visual flourishes that erase the handicap of the basic script and the low budget. But I also have to partially agree with betelgeus, I am slowly getting tired of the Taratino clones. Not everyone can combine violence with absurd humour as well as Tarantino or Guy Ritchie. Duffy has only a few bright moments (especially the scene with the unfortunate butchering of the cat). PS: On the other hand, Dafoe in the role of a genius detective is brilliant!
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