The Boondock Saints (R, Willem DaFoe, Sean Patrick Flanery). So, am I behind a little? Yes. I admit it. I of the what’s hot must see this independent film mindset is way behind. Many of my movie buddies have been busting me for a while to see this, proclaiming that it was ‘right up my alley’. I usually shy away from movies that are ‘right up my alley’ mainly because that means enough people have viewed it to mean it’s mainstream mush. However, occassionally I miss a very good movie. This was one of those times.
Boondock Saints is about what happens when you take the law into your own hands, i.e. a good old case of vigilante law. If you asked me to pick something about this movie that made it awesome, I couldn’t tell you. It’s not the best script (creates shortcuts); it’s not the best directing (imitation is the sincerest form of flattery); it’s not the best acted (outside of DaFoe you have a Young Indiana Jones and Billy Connolly).
However, it is just a cool movie. It has the raw feel of ‘this was made by a guy who simply loves movies.’ In this case, Troy Duffy is the guy; he wrote and directed it. And you can just sense that he feels all he needs is a shot. He knows he can get better; he wants to get better. You can sense that this is a movie made by someone who loves movies….by someone who just wants to make movies.
So, I guess I do have one thing to point to that makes this movie awesome: it’s made by someone with a true love of film. And allows it to show through instead of sacrificing it for a ‘hollywood’ ending; an audience-freindly climax or a tired, but box-office guarantee actor. Something rarely seen today.
See it if you liked: History of Violence, Sleepers, Mystic River
