Review of The Boondock Saints (1999) by Giovanna G — 09 Apr 2012

I find it interesting that so many parallels are drawn between this and Pulp Fiction, because beyond the genre staples and one or two racy taboo-challenging scenes, they don't have all that much in common.

The Saints don't benefit from the comparison, either, considering Fiction is an ambitious, label-defying, scene chewing mega-monster, while they're just suitably entertaining bullet spitters with an accent.

There's plenty of good action to be savored here, with a few wildly original payoffs and an upturned barrel full of blood'n'guts, but at heart it's an extremely simple vigilante justice story that's well-served by its hair trigger.

The two leads, twin brothers who seem to have been waiting their entire lives for the excuse to go on this kind of a rampage, power through wave after wave of mafia underlings without even a whiff of danger until the closing moments.

That makes for some giddy action sets early on, sure, but when the story is finally ready to slow down and say something, it's left without anything to lean on. Willem DaFoe is a potential show-stealer as the morally (and sexually) confused police detective on the Saints' case, but he falls victim to the same trappings as the plot.

Loaded with character, bravado and personality, it lacks depth and meaning.