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The Boondock Saints (1999)
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Review by Frank Wilkins
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The Boondock Saints takes place in the seedy underworld of Boston. Connor and Murphy McManus, (Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus respectively) two Irish brothers working in a meat packing plant, act on what they believe to be a message from God and will stop at nothing to reach their goal to rid the world of violence. Flanery and Reedus don't seem inspired by the opportunity, and as a result, they come off as inept and ham-handed in their roles. While the characters of the brothers McManus are indeed captivating, it is perhaps the dynamic nature of their roles that masks the deficiencies of Reedus and Flanery.
The brothers McManus are soon joined by their overly enthusiastic friend and mob runner Rocco (David Della Rocco). The three begin their crusade by eliminating the Russian mobsters who attempt to close down their local watering hole. They then work their way on up through the ranks of the Italian mafia. Although society views them as Saints whose actions should be heralded, in comes detective Smecker (Willem Dafoe) who vows to stop at nothing to bring their vigilantism to a halt despite his sympathy with their cause. Willem Dafoe delivers an absolutely outstanding and hilarious performance, as the gay F.B.I. detective who, while working the crime scene, plugs in headphones, cranks up the classical music and dances through his detective work routine, even giving us a memorable rendition of River Dance. The sardonically sinister role is perfect for him.
The story is nothing original or groundbreaking, but it's the way the story is told, coupled with the performance of Dafoe, that keeps this thing from having absolutely no value at all. In what is one of the more creative aspects of the film, we never see the crimes as they are being committed. We learn what went down from Det. Smecker himself as he is superimposed over the action describing the crime scene as bullets fly past in slow motion, hitting bodies, tearing flesh, and splattering blood on the surroundings. Six different types of bullets at a crime scene can either mean six different perpetrators or it might mean one guy with six guns who runs through his ammo clips and grabs the next gun from his full body holster.
While Boondock occasionally displays flashes of brilliant film making, more often than not, it grows tiresome and seems to lack the feeling of genuine cohesiveness. After the first few overly-violent encounters, the gig begins to grow old and we see that no matter how far-fetched the scenario – whether it be falling from the ceiling upside-down-guns-a-blazin' or escaping from handcuffs chained to a commode – the brothers are not going to lose. Just as in the typical teen-action films in which the bad guys with machine guns can't hit the heroes, yet the good guys can take out an army with a bullet and a copper wire, it becomes evident early on that we are in for another implausible fish story with guns and blood, not integrity, at its core.
I expect that we will soon hear of some disillusioned violent teenagers who committed their crime after watching The Boondock Saints as was the case in The Basketball Diaries. It IS that violent and controversial including the shooting of a house cat. I understand that the movie posters for this flick are hot items as kids are drawn to the main graphic of the Brothers McManus standing side-by-side pointing guns with silencers.
I'm not here to say that I believe that violent movies make violent people - that discussion is for another time - but I see no real reason why this movie needed to be made. Boondock Saints has that straight-to-video flavor with its cursory story and its clichéd inspiration. The acting doesn't deserve much mention other than that of Dafoe and the movie's message is misguided with a purposefully directed appeal. On a final note – gunplay inside Catholic Church confessionals should be left to reality if that day ever comes.
Frank Wilkins
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Screen formats: Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1
Subtitles: English, Spanish.
Sound: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround.
Other Features: Color; interactive menus; scene access; audio commentary with the writer and director; deleted footage; trailer; filmography.
| Willem Dafoe .... | Paul Smecker |
| Sean Patrick Flanery .... | Connor MacManus |
| Norman Reedus .... | Murphy MacManus |
| David Della Rocco .... | Rocco |
| Billy Connolly .... | Il Duce |
| David Ferry .... | Detective Dolly |
| Brian Mahoney .... | Detective Duffy |
| Bob Marley .... | Detective Greenly |
| Richard Fitzpatrick .... | The Chief |
| William Young .... | Monsignor |
| Robert Pemberton .... | Mackiepenny |
| Bill Craig .... | McGerkin |
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