Sunday, October 23, 2011

The Boondock Saints (1999)

****

A darkly funny action film--not for the faint of heart (or stomach), but still enjoyable.  In a loving portrayal of the Irish stereotype, the McManus brothers stumble into a life of vigilante justice, and much violence ensues. Willem Dafoe is unsettling and over-the-top at times as the closeted FBI agent investigating the vigilante killings, but the brothers themselves are convincing and genuine in their pursuit of their "God-given" calling.  Billy Connelly is intimidating (as he should be).  This movie definitely earned its R rating (with boatloads of profanity, plenty of gore, and some nudity), but I still enjoyed it.  Vigilante violence is always an interesting subject if handled well.  The McManus brothers contain shades of Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight--they aim to be boogeymen deterring violent crime in their hometown of Boston (and possibly beyond).  The movie is well acted, well written, and, in my opinion, well worth watching, if you aren't too disturbed by the profanity and bloodletting.

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