The Boondock Saints

It took watching a YouTube video of Willem Dafoe talking about it with such affection for me to finally watch it.

Great stuff. Perfect casting. Fun, funny, different. A bit of a "Snatch" (one of my favorites) like tone, but still unique. Had an absolute blast watching it.

This film had the sad history of being blackballed in the United States due to the incident at Columbine...which is a real shame, because it is a treasure...written and directed by Troy Duffy, Boondocks is set in Boston...it is the story of fraternal twin Irish boys (Connor and Murphy McManus) who work in a meat packing plant...when their friend, Doc, is being stiff armed by the Russian Mafia, the boys and their friends step in to help...and away we go! Two of the most interesting characters in the film are played by veteran actor William Dafoe, and a newcomer to the silver screen, David Della Rocco. Dafoe's character is Paul Smecker, a gay FBI agent specializing in organized crime...Rocco plays an Italian Mafia package boy who is a close friend to the Irish brothers...the central theme of the film is the indifference of good men...Connor and Murphy are not indifferent, and after helping their friend, Doc, the two embark on a crusade to rid the streets of Boston of criminals...with the assistance of their comical and zany friend, Rocco...This film had positive elements on all sides...humor...a moral message...and incredible actors...you will no doubt find yourself repeating the many memorable quotes from the film...I am a woman, and not at all into your typical "shoot 'em up" guy films...this is not another one of those films...it has become an underground "cult" sensation...See it...you will not be disappointed!

...albeit a little too proud of itself. I waited a long time before actually watching this film, then an ex-girlfriend loaned it to me telling me I wouldn't be disappointed. And I wasn't. Boondock Saints looks and feels like a fan film, and it is well done. The actors, I felt, were carefully chosen, did a wonderful job, and composed themselves well. The only real annoyances were Willem Dafoe's character being a know-it-all, and David Della Rocco who screams his head off throughout the whole movie. Its rare that a movie of this genre has a gratifying ending, and when the credits started rolling, I was a little sad that there wasn't more. This movie kept me entertained thoroughly, and I was happy that I finally watched it. For those who haven't seen it, sit back and enjoy the violent ride, for it's a fun one.

I've always enjoyed non-linear storytelling. A number of people seem to have picked up on this aspect of the movie and thus dubbed it similar to Pulp Fiction (though no one mentions Reservoir Dogs) when this movie takes non-linear storytelling to a level beyond where Quentin Tarrantino was ever able to go.

Now, certainly Memento came along afterwards and transformed the entire art of non-linear storytelling. However, Memento uses it to keep the movie watcher guessing until the very end, whereas Boondock Saints puts the pieces on the table, letting you try to put them together, but then will continue handing you pieces until the picture becomes clearer.

Clearly the movie is designed to be over-the-top, both from Williem Dafoe's character to the action sequences themselves. Williem Dafoe makes this movie for me. The plot, which centers on religiously-inspired vigilante justice, has an air of being somewhat cliched, although I would be hard pressed to name another movie which handles it in this matter.

I still fail to see how others consider this movie vacuous and without meaning, when its message about the pitfalls of our current legal system and the need for something that transcends it is quite clear. I thought the ending, in which various people are interviewed about their opinion of the "Saints" and how for some vigilante justice was an incredibly sensitive issue, made this point very clear.

Not knowing anything about this movie before watching it, I found myself caught up In the story and characters.

If you like gunfights, good guys vs bad guys this is the movie for you. If you're looking for something to watch, I recommend Boodock Saints. It's well worth the watch.