A modern classic. (The Boondock Saints (DVD))

Member Name: JackAndAHat

Product:	The Boondock Saints (DVD)
Date:	23/06/08 (33 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Witty dialogue, thought provoking, strong acting.

Disadvantages: They never got onto making the sequel

The Boondock Saints is a classic.

That sounds like a strange thing to say about a film whose trivia page points out that it packs in 246 uses of the word f***, or versions thereof. But this is more than just guys and their guns

Directed and written by Troy Duffy, this film follows twin brothers Connor and Murphy - played by Sean Patrick Flannery and Norman Reedus in what is probably their best roles to date - as they fall accidentally into cleaning up the scum of their city, taking on the roles of avenging angels to save a world dragged down by murderers and mafiosa.

At the opening of the film, the Irish-American twins are living unremarkable lives in Boston, working by day in a meat-packing plant, amusing themselves, eachother, and everyone around them, and by night hanging out with the rest of their neighbourhood in a local bar. The Mafia's demands to take over and close down the bar set off a chain of events that none of them could have imagined, dragging the viewers along for the journey.

Hot on their tail is Willem Dafoe's Agent Smecker, who follows the path of bodies, torn between his duty to the law and his belief in what The Saints, as they are soon, called are doing. Smecker's hounding of a rather inept police officer just adds to the comedy, and even though he's on the opposite side to the brothers, you find yourself cheering for him too.

David Della Rocco plays "himself", and best friend to the brothers, half dragged along and half pushing the plot forward through his unwitting involvement with the Mafia. A comedic figure, he still manages to provide one of the films most heart-wrenching moments.

Watch out for Billy Connelly as you have never seen him before - it would spoil things to say who or where, but you will be amazed.

The film could be just another dumb blood-fest, yet even as the bodycount mounts, it never sinks to that level. The morals are called into question - is it right to kill, to prevent more killings? Who has the right to judge, God or the police force? Trite as it may sound, the questions stay with you.

Overall, the film is amazing, in every possible way, and I highly recommend it. It's not for everyone, but it's worth finding out if it's for you.

Summary: An absolute must-see.