The Boondock Saints

While this film is generally disliked by many critics, I find Troy Duffy's, The Boondock Saints, to be a very enjoyable crime action drama. This film is about two Boston-native Irish men who decide to "clean up the streets" from crime and become vigilante law enforcers. First off, generally in action films characters can seem very distant and not relatable because no normal person goes around killing people or blowing things up, but in the case of this film, you feel that you can't help but root for Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus' characters even though they technically are breaking law. Willem Dafoe plays an ingenious and homosexual FBI agent who at first vows to catch these "low-life" criminals but then has a change of heart. His character is, in my opinion, the most interesting and integral character to the plot. Onto the cinematography. The actual cinematography and editing is basically very typical of action drama films, use of slow motion, flashbacks, etc. So nothing too spectacular in that category but Duffy still does a good job of following this itinerary. The score for Saints is also very typical of action films as well but it is still very good for what it is. I feel that Saints is not the best film in terms of pushing boundaries and adding to the genre, but with what is has I feel it does quite well with it. Without giving away spoilers I can tell you that the film's ending is to be expected and that is why there is a sequel. Personally, I would watch this film multiple times for only one reason; to hear Dafoe yell, "There was a firefight!" with his arms raised to the sky.

Bottom Line: Rent It/Buy It

Score: 8/10

Year: 1999
Director: Troy Duffy (The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day)
Cast: Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, Willem Dafoe, David Della Rocco
Rating: R