The decision to do this review was a rather sudden one, as I don't normally review movies. I like to stick with games, simply because of the sheer depth of content that allows you to rant on for 1000 words about how shit everything is. That said, I'm always up for trying new things, so I figured I'd give movie reviews a go. This being the first of potentially many movie reviews, I thought I'd start off with a sort of cult classic: The Boondock Saints.
In keeping with the film's religious undertones, I'll confess that I've never seen The Boondock Saints until now, but the film's premise has always interested me. Two Irish brothers, Conner and Murphy MacManus, living in south Boston are assaulted by Russian mafia members in a bar one night while drinking with their friends. After killing the thugs, they undergo a federal investigation conducted by Special Agent Paul Smecker, played by Willem Dafoe. They are dropped of any criminal charges and the case is filed as self-defense. That very night, the brothers are treated to a very nice chat with God, who tells them that they must use their faith to punish those who do wrong. The synopsis may seem a little hard to swallow, however, in the context of the movie, it is beautifully executed. Unfortunately, The Boondock Saints' story could fit on about two and a half flash cards and really goes no deeper than the initial premise. Instead of story, we get a bunch of disjointed action scenes that serve no purpose, other than giving the saints people to kill.
Where the story lacks, the characters shine. Conner and Murphy are both very energetic and incredibly likeable, and you can very much feel their brotherly bond. They do everything together; attend church, eat, work, and even sleep next to one another. Every line of dialogue they deliver is enjoyable and they do a good job of keeping the entire film very light-hearted. Willem Dafoe plays what is easily his wackiest character ever. Imagine this: a gay FBI agent that dances around the scene of the crime, all the while revealing what the MacManus brothers did there, step by step. Dafoe does an excellent job and really gets into his character. He even dresses up as an upper-class, middle-aged, female prostitute in order to infiltrate a mob boss' compound. All the extras, such as the Boston police force detectives that join Dafoe while he investigates, are enjoyable as well. Of course, as with any movie, not all of the characters are good. The brothers have an Italian friend named Rocco who joins them in their rampage for most of the movie, but I found him to be overly stupid and completely unlikable. The hitman, Duce, wins the award for most pointless character to ever exist. He shows up near the end and attempts to kill the saints, but he hears them delivering a prayer and joins them instead. It's just stupid and confusing, especially considering that Duce has around five minutes of screen time (and a stupid name).
The cinematography is pretty average for an action movie. However, the film particularly stands out in the sequences that go back in time, revealing step by step how the MacManus brothers went about giving the walls a fresh coat of brains. These segments are often narrated by a character and feature slow motion gunfights that, with a few cool camera angles, make up the best parts of the entire movie. Other than that, there really isn't much to brag about here. Apologies for all you artsy types, you won't find much in the way of interesting techniques here.
This clip captures the action scenes pretty well.
Really though, there isn't much to talk about. The Boondock Saints is your average, run of the mill, wacky action movie. There's guns, slow motion, smart-ass characters, racial stereotypes, and the entire thing lacks any sort of coherent story. Regardless of all that, you go to the movies to be entertained, and I was certainly entertained by The Boondock Saints. If you're in the mood for an action movie, then certainly see this one, as you won't be disappointed. Besides, where else can you see a fifty-year old Irish man, who looks a lot like Santa Claus wearing a trench coat, get into a firefight with two religious brothers and a hairy Italian guy?
Please. feel free to share any criticisms you have with my review, as I am always looking to improve.
Also, you can check out my previous game reviews of HAWX [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.122907#2487130] and Fable 2 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.129939#2830125].
Thank you all for reading.
