The Boondock Saints [IMPORT]

Rating:
Summary: These Saints are AWESOME!
Review: Riveting performance by this mainly B-list cast. David Della Rocco will make you laugh out loud. This show has the right amount of action along with perfectly timed comedy. Wonderful! This is one for the ages. I can't wait for the sequel to this masterpiece.

Rating:
Summary: DAMN
Review: This is by far one of the sickest movies i have ever seen. It has become a regular in my DVD player. Holy S@!t this is good stuff. Pride to the Irish, these boys made me proud.

Rating:
Summary: good movie making
Review: this movie is not a academy award winner by any means, but it shows a different side of the country ( boston) the ethnic neighborhoods, and different nationalities, irish, italian and russian, with religious overtones and some non- main stream overtones, such a a gay f.b.i. agent in charge, this movie is sorta filmed in the style of pulp fiction, good storey telling to point, with no ending, maybe their will be a part 2

Rating:
Summary: It's a winner
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Movies Ever!!!
Review: Okay, when I first heard of this movie, I didn't think much of it cause it was about the whole "God gave me the right to kill all the evil men, bla bla, bla" So I only watched it because my friend made me. But it turned out to be one of the funniest movies ever!! I admit, there's not that much plot to it, but the comedy and the way the story is written makes up for it. The McManus twins have never killed before, so the first time that they set out to kill people, they do it just like the movies, and it's really funny. Willem Dafoe is also great in the movie, after seeing him in it, my opinion of him went up. Overall its a great movie, it has like one of the best scripts ever. I think that if you like comedies, then you should really like this movie. It does have some sad moments in it to, but its still good.

Rating:
Summary: Must have been amazing if they're making a sequel
Review: Especially to a movie that was never in theaters since it came out too close to the Columbine shootings. (Honestly which was ridiculous.)

Moving on, my review of the movie of course is as biased as the rest. I loved it from beginning to end. It's hard to describe (in a worthwhile way) unless you see it yourself. The plot was told to me by a cousin and I really didn't want to watch it, but not even half the way through the movie I was in love with it, and bought my own copy days later.

The movie itself: Two fraternal twin brothers; Connor and Murphy MacManus who somehow speak 5 languages yet work in a meat packing plant get into a barfight one night, the same men bust down their door the next morning with the intent to kill Murphy outside (who really has the 'younger' brother mentality) while Connor (obviously he's the 'older' twin) is helplessly chained inside.

They -both- incidentally save each other from that predicament and later get 'baptized' and realize their calling in life is to "Destroy all that which is evil...", "So all that is good may flourish.".

The chemistry was amazing, with the brothers most of all. Arguably the bond Connor and Murphy shared is what made the movie stick.

The movie should really be watched, anyone's reviews/comments be damned. Much, much more good has been said about it than bad and has developed a HUGE cult/word of mouth/etc. following by only coming out on video DVD and only publicly advertised when done so.

You really should at one point check out the Special Features of the DVD, they will tell you a lot. Especially the 'Ma calls form Ireland' Deleted Scene. It tells you about how their father left, how the brothers are actually fraternal twins and some other facts, amusing and not.

Troy Duffy's audio commentary helps out a lot. Especially to the smarks with idiotic questions that didn't watch the movie close enough. Heh. ;) He'll tell you the real meanings behind some scenes (Like the "baptism") and what his 'vision' was.

It was a low budget movie remember so it's not like everything is perfect and all is explained and pretty like that of Armageddon and Titanic here. ~_^

Overall: Great movie, solid performances, shocking/funny/dramatic all at nearly perfect times. Check it out, really is worth it. Also great for any fan of Willem DaFoe, Norman Reedus or Sean Patrick Flanery.

Rating:
Summary: eh?
Review: A bunch of my buddies are obsessed with this movie. Myself, I dont see whats so great. It is a decent movie but nothing spectacular. It kind of reminds me of a bad remake of pulp fiction or snatch.

Rating:
Summary: what a pleasant surprise
Review: This movie had me stunned from beginning to end you can buy this dirt cheap God knows how or why its so cheap but I wont complain to me this is up there with some of the best action flicks around about two Irish Brothers deciding it was time for someone to take revenge upon all those who punish the inocent,I know it sounds a little loose but its pulled off very dramaticly and smooth.I really hate giving a movie so much glory to people who hasnt seen it im affraid it would take some of the shock value out of it.Like me who didnt know what i was getting I just seen william dafoe face on the cover along with some guns on the backside at a nice price.I dont belive i'll take anything away for you first viewers i watched this movie last night with a friend for the 5 time it was his first and i still felt like i did the first time i watched it as for my friend he was shocked and bought it the next day!

Rating:
Summary: over kill this movie please
Review: Typical, 'in the name of God', killing spree. Embraced by the public for ridding society of trash. overly simplistic with absolutely no artistic view. Sums itself up when willem, in a also typical nonenthusiastic monotone role, states that what the saints did was 'like in the movies'. seems as though the movie tried to employ ALL aspects of pop high volume films yet fails miserably. I would not even suggest wasting four dollars to rent it.

I disliked the movie so much that I gave my copy away. Should have never purchased it in the first place. True fans of Tarantino and Ritchie will undoubtedly be equally disappointed.

Would have taken stars away if possible.

Rating:
Summary: What in God's name is wrong with everybody? (get it?)
Review: If you're a fan of Tarantino and Guy Ritchie...dont go anywhere near this film. Whats the point of watching a blatant ripoff that isn't 1/10 of the movies its imitating? One of the problems with this movie is it can't decide whether it's a cold, intense action movie or a more lighthearted one along the lines of "Snatch".

I'm sure you already know the premise-after killing some mafia guys in self defense, 2 guys with bad Irish accents decide to start killing people in the name of God. They are inspired into this decison by...the newspaper story calling them saints? Are you serious?

The movie is painfully formulaic-first a scene where the saints decide to kill somebody, followed by a investigation scene in which an obnoxious Defoe prances around with a grin spouting awful one-liners. Then repeat. There is no attempt to make a cohesive plot that actually ties events and characters together.

Late in the movie you will enjoy the worst shoot-out scene in movie history (where 3 accomplished killers stand in the open 20 feet apart and shoot at least 100 rounds at each other without a hit), followed by a plot twist so ridiculous you should be personally offended when you see it.

I'm still trying to figure out what anybody likes about this movie, but my head hurts....