The Boondock Saints

     "Never shall innocent blood be shed, yet the blood of the wicked shall flow like a river."
– Conner & Murphy MacManus

Two religious brothers, Conner (Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus) MacManus believe that they are on a mission from god. To clean the the world of the evil men, so that the good can live in prosperity. With help from an old friend who knows all the criminals in the city, they hunt down and assassinate those that they feel are wicked. The mob call in a hitman that has been inprisoned for the last 40 years to kill the “saints”. And while the brothers carry on their mission, a highly intellectual and homosexual FBI agent is on their tail (Willem Dafoe). However, as times goes by, the FBI agent gets more and more confused. He is not certain what to think about the crimes that the saints comitt. Are they in fact a crime? Or are they doing the right thing? He now face a moral dilemma. Should he fight them or help them?

If you don’t think this plot sounds intriguing, there is something wrong with you. The story is highly original and the directing is masterful. This movie is so extremely good that I lack the words to express it. The one and only thing that is negative with this film is that it is shamelessly unknown to most people. The way this movie was promoted was a disaster, it didn’t even reach the cinemas in most country’s. I have still not found an answer to why it is so, but somebody should be fired for it.

Some people may claim that this movie is a rip of movies such as Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs and generally the whole Tarantino style. The only link I can see is that they are both masterful directors. The director of The Boondock Saints, Troy Duffy is somewhat influenced by the Tarantino time leaps issue. Jumping back and forward through events throughout the movie. However, Duffy uses this teqnique very sparingly and narrowly, which is the only reason why this movie doesn’t achieve a 10/10 rating.

The actors does a fabolous job, and I especially want to mention Willem Dafoe that we see way to little of in hollywood. We have seen him before in both excellent movies (The English Patient) and pure disasters (Speed 2). Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus are both relatively unknown, which is a shame, because they both prove with this movie that they can deliver a good performance.

As mentioned the history is awesome and you can’t avoid being intrigued by the plot. The script itself is excellent, and the dialogue is sharp, funny and memoriable. The prayer that the brothers say before they kill their targets is extremely cool and nice. It sounds much better than the one Samuel L. Jackson says in Pulp Fiction (ok there is a few other small rip offs here and there). The music score is also very variable. It include everything from techno to opera. A mix that really sets the mood.

I think I have covered it all now, and it’s just left for me to say that this is a masterpiece you can’t let go unseen. Go to your local video store and rent it. If they claim that they do not own the movie, threaten them and make them order the movie to the store so that you can rent it. It will be worth it.

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