by Stacy Calvert

Created on: December 22, 2009

1999's "The Boondock Saints" offers up a fresh take on the big-city vigilante tale.  Murphy and Connor McManus, spurred on by loyalty to an old friend, the words of their parish priest, and lots of St. Paddy's Day liquor, begin killing Boston's bad guys like old pros.  Their wannabe wise-guy buddy Rocco convinces them to let him in on the fun, resulting in all sorts of unpredictable consequences.

Special Agent Paul Smecker is called to the scene of their first crime, to the chagrin of the Boston cops.  Elegant in a weird kind of way, he goes about investigating a crime scene to his favorite opera tunes like an artist inspired by his muse.  Back at the station, the McManus boys are treated to a hero's welcome after turning themselves in.  

Smecker, like most of the police force, thinks the Brothers McManus are doing the city a favor by wiping out big-time gangsters and their underlings.  After a priest confirms Smecker's suspicions that following your own convictions should take precedence over the law of man, he sets out to help the boys.  His methods are sometimes unconventional, but Smecker is a good guy to have on their side. 

As the bodies mount and the local media give the crimes increasing air time, the public is decidedly divided on whether the murders are justified.  Opinion polls find citizens either passionately supportive of the brothers, or appalled that they’ve taken the law into their own hands. 

It seems that critics and movie fans are just as polarized in their views of “The Boondock Saints.”  While the former panned it, the latter were rabid in their lust for a sequel.  Director Troy Duffy’s infamous relationships with Hollywood bigwigs made that seem like an impossibility, but it finally made its appearance as “The Boondock Saints II:  All Saints Day” in November of 2009.   

"The Boondock Saints" has been compared to the work of Quentin Tarantino for its mix of violence and dark humor, but it’s grittier and less stylized than Tarantino’s films.  Duffy’s “Saints” shows hints of “Taxi Driver” and Charles Bronson movies, maybe because of the gloomy East Coast locales, while Tarantino draws from kung fu, blaxploitation, and a huge pool of other film and pop culture influences.  But Duffy definitely pays homage to the work of QT; one scene in particular borrows a comic device used in “Pulp Fiction” - two words:  girlfriend's cat.

While “The Boondock Saints” may not make everyone’s top ten film list, it’s hard to deny its entertainment value.  The humor isn’t overly referential, but isn’t blockbuster-broad either.  Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery have great chemistry as the two brothers, and the story is sufficiently fast-paced and well-written to have gained a huge cult following.

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