Review of The Boondock Saints (1999) by Thequietgamer — 08 Jun 2018

A bit of vigilante fantasy that manages to be one of the weirdest movies I've ever watched. It's eccentric characters lead to a lot of memorable moments. The action is also well-crafted, but the film regularly gets distracted with side-excursions into juvenile and crass comedic material. There are so many moments that don't contribute anything to the overall plot, but are made entertaining by just how odd they are. Occasionally they can be tasteless, such as a scene where one of the side-characters is forced to tell a racist joke to his crime boss. We're supposed to laugh at just how uncomfortable and floundering the character is when having to try to make his serious and dangerous employer laugh, but the only amusement I got was from the fact that it was included in the first place.

When the movie is focusing on the crime-scene investigations and flashbacks to actual hits on the mob bosses, you can tell it's a pretty well put together little film and certainly a unique one at that. Willem Dafoe's performance in endlessly enjoyable. His dialog is hilarious (mostly because of his delivery) and I was shocked to see just how far both he and the movie were willing to go in some cases. It's a pretty crazy experience right from the start, but blows up into an all out circus in it's final act. It's also worth noting that Norman Reedus would regularly slip in and out of his Irish accent throughout.

Those hoping for a thoughtful look at the moral ambiguity of an "eye for an eye" mindset will be disappointed. What few questions it does raise in regards to the validity of answering violent crime with just as violent justice are reserved for the very end of the movie and aren't explored at all. It's easy to tell where writer and director Troy Duffy stands on the matter though. No, The Boondock Saints is much more concerned with brutal wish fulfillment and immature humor. It values blood and bullets more than a brain.

I can't say I liked this movie or that it's even particularly good film, but there was never a dull moment. This strange tale about two very Irish brothers who have a spiritual experience that tells them to go out and kill all those criminals who seem to regularly slip through the cracks in the justice system is one brimming with personality. So much so in fact, that it gets in it's own way by trying to do it's own thing far too often and branches out in directions that feel pointless and unnecessary. The Boondock Saints is not going to click with everyone. A lot of us will be better off just sticking with The Punisher for our vigilante needs. However those who value originality no matter how peculiar might find a hidden gem with this one.