The Boondock Saints (2000)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Albert K

  
  One of the most overrated movies of all time. Horribly shot that so desperately wants to have a Tarantino feel without the wit and entertainment. Acting = horrible. Action? Non-existent. Cinematography was ugly as hell. Screenplay was horrendous.

• Zach B

  
  Think back to the early 1990s. During this time, there was a man by the name of Quentin Tarantino who made to crime films that changed everything in terms of cinema. Those films were Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. Due to the success of those films, it is bound that someone will… More
  Think back to the early 1990s. During this time, there was a man by the name of Quentin Tarantino who made to crime films that changed everything in terms of cinema. Those films were Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. Due to the success of those films, it is bound that someone will either make a rip-off, tribute, or both of those films. Well, what we have is a man who made a film that celebrates the films of Tarantino, while at the same time paodying the crap out of it. My first expose to this film came from me seeing the trailers for the sequel. By judging from that, I knew that this film series was not going to be intelligent and just made for pure entertainment. So, I went and saw that IFC was showing the film of the first one, and being curious, I decided to watch it. What I got was what I expected: a dumb film with no brain, but is entertaining to watch regardless. Plus a rather interesting performance by Willem Dafoe. As it is mostly a complaint with this film, it does take a lot of liberties from Tarantino's first two films to a point where is almost becomes a parody. For numerous film fans and film buffs, this is a fault due to it making the film unoriginal. In my opinion, I see this more as a tribute to Tarantino then a parody. What Troy Duffy done here was take a man's two masterpieces and create a film that would take on a life of it's own and celebrate Reservoir and Pulp. Now, it does not do the best of jobs, but it does do better then most films I have seen (*coughplumpfictioncough*). now, there are a lot of reasons why I would recommend this film. Mostly from the comedic script to the stylize fighting and gore effects (believe me: there is plenty for all adrenaline junkies out there). But the main reason would have to be the over acting of Willem Dafoe. I have seen some comedic performances in my life time, but Dafoe just steals this film in one of his most bizarre films ever plus having one of the most overacted scenes he has ever done (when you hear him yell "IT WAS A FIRE FIGHT!", you will know what I mean). But that has to be one of the main reasons why I have a soft heart with this film: the actors do not take this serious. They have fun with the film. Plus, it is even more comedic due to the director is the only person who takes the film serious. But, that is the main idea of this film: not to be taken seriously and just to join for the ride. Yeah, it is mindbogglingly stupid in some areas and the entire concept is pathetic as being original, but if you just sit back and go along for the ride, you will be in for an entertaining two hours. Just, don't take the film seriously and watch for Dafoe. He makes the film worth viewing.

• Matthew S

  
  This movie reminded me of Tarantino's, where it knows its a movie and every scene knows its a scene and wants to put on a good show for us. But really, Troy Duffy alienates people (women and minorities) in a way Tarantino never has in the movies I've seen. Willem Dafoe and… More
  This movie reminded me of Tarantino's, where it knows its a movie and every scene knows its a scene and wants to put on a good show for us. But really, Troy Duffy alienates people (women and minorities) in a way Tarantino never has in the movies I've seen. Willem Dafoe and his character is really the only enjoyable part of this movie, and that goes stale in the second act (with the rest of the movie) and then to crap in the third.

• Conner R

  
  Boondock Saints is probably the closest thing that any movie has come to truly revitalizing the Exploitation genre. It's incredibly psychotic in nature, much like its director, but you can't help but enjoy this on some level. What makes this so interesting is that i'm… More
  Boondock Saints is probably the closest thing that any movie has come to truly revitalizing the Exploitation genre. It's incredibly psychotic in nature, much like its director, but you can't help but enjoy this on some level. What makes this so interesting is that i'm sure Troy Duffy thought he was making the most realistic, gritty and amazing action movie that the world has ever seen. Not to mention that he had no idea how politically incorrect and ridiculous he was being when he was writing the characters and dialogue. You have to hand it to the cast; not many people could say such bizarre things and get away with it. However, this is almost too good at being a guilty pleasure type movie that it basically turns into a good movie period. Stylistically, this really has a seventies vibe to it which is really sort of cool. It plays into the exploitation delivery and makes a lot of the sequences come off more appropriate than they should. When the extremely nutball action does occur, it really does deliver nicely. Troy Duffy might not be the absolute genius that he believes, but it still undoubtedly looks good. Overall, you really have to look at this from a certain perspective. To take it dead serious would be a mistake, but it's also not made to be seen as a comedy. It lies in the exploitation genre in which you could be over the top and semi-serious at the same time. It's sort've the action movie you wish you could've made back when you were 13, but couldn't.

• Spencer S

  
  I understand the appeal to the masculine sensibilities: Rogue Catholics taking down the scum of Boston, guns blazing, chased by an FBI agent played by none other than Willem Dafoe, one of the greatest bad asses of our time. This just seemed like pure dumb luck on the part of Troy… More
  I understand the appeal to the masculine sensibilities: Rogue Catholics taking down the scum of Boston, guns blazing, chased by an FBI agent played by none other than Willem Dafoe, one of the greatest bad asses of our time. This just seemed like pure dumb luck on the part of Troy Duffy. I do give considerable kudos to the comic relief of Rocco, who was amazingly entertaining and funny to boot. The blood and gore kept me enticed; and the bond between brothers, the message of morality, and the lasting love of friendship.

• Jim H

  
  <i>The Boondock Saints</i> is a sleek, stylish film that relies too much on being sleek and stylish. Mostly, this film reminds me of the the days when other filmmakers were jacking off to Quintin Tarantino and produced trash like <i>Smokin' Aces</i>, not… More
  <i>The Boondock Saints</i> is a sleek, stylish film that relies too much on being sleek and stylish. Mostly, this film reminds me of the the days when other filmmakers were jacking off to Quintin Tarantino and produced trash like <i>Smokin' Aces</i>, not realizing that Tarantino's skill lies less in violence for violence's sake but rather in strong, sharp characters, whose violence stems from their personal moral questions. Here, we get some of that reflection but not enough to make the film stand. When the MacManus brothers consider the ethics of vigilantism, they reason that the traditional mechanics of justice have failed. But we see none of this in the film. We're expected to bring ideas of cops' incompetence into the theater with our popcorn. This theme is further confused when we see Dafoe's character, who rivals Monk and Sherlock Holmes in his ability to read a crime scene. My basic point is this: the film's raison d'etre isn't adequately developed. Dafoe's now infamous "There was a firefight!" is just as over-the-top as some of the other performances. Though Flanery and Reedus generally stabilize the film, it's hard to take many of these characters seriously. Overall, I think this film is well-made; I understand why it has become a cult classic. However, it borders on violence-porn, and I'm not aroused.

• Jason C

  
  I've been hearing good things about this movie for awhile. It's alright, and apparently extremely overrated. It's really not that great. I should know better than to listen to the masses.

• Jennifer D

  
  I know I am not the target audience, but I LOVE this movie. I can quote it entirely. AC rating: Troy Duffy might have an ass-like reputation, but he still made interesting and insightful aspects of the whole production.

• Cynthia S

  
  I just love love love this movie. I saw it for the first time when it first came out, and yet again just recently. I find it totally hysterical, and very cool. I can't believe that it took them 10 years to do the follow-up one, cuz it was quite clear at the end that there was… More
  I just love love love this movie. I saw it for the first time when it first came out, and yet again just recently. I find it totally hysterical, and very cool. I can't believe that it took them 10 years to do the follow-up one, cuz it was quite clear at the end that there was going to be more. Great action! Great movie!!

• Morgan G

  
  It's over the top, it might make very little sense, it might be gratuitous but it is brilliant. Hugely enjoyable, and perhaps with some important questions... incredible performances from nearly everyone involved.

• Richard C

  
  What is wrong with everybody. This is one of the most overrated movies i've ever seen. Im really suprised this has 93% liked. This movie is stupid. I liked the premise and this movie has some cool action sequences and I was entertained. There are some stupid dialouge but there… More
  What is wrong with everybody. This is one of the most overrated movies i've ever seen. Im really suprised this has 93% liked. This movie is stupid. I liked the premise and this movie has some cool action sequences and I was entertained. There are some stupid dialouge but there are also some great lines too. I like the movie but anyone who thinks this is a great movie is wrong. B-

• Jason S

  
  I can see why this flick has become the cult hit it has. It's one of those movies I missed when it came out and became one of those movies I always kept on the list of movies I needed to see. I finally got to it. It's a funny movie with action that is well done. I really… More
  I can see why this flick has become the cult hit it has. It's one of those movies I missed when it came out and became one of those movies I always kept on the list of movies I needed to see. I finally got to it. It's a funny movie with action that is well done. I really enjoyed the editing style and how the whole story unfolded. There were some out there parts of the story such as Dafoe's whole character but it all works in the world that is set up for us.

• Thomas J

  
  There are often movies we say I want to watch that....but we for some reason don't. This was one of those movies for me. Thank goodness I finally got around to watching it. It hits a topic worth considering and going along for the ride was actually gratifying for me.

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  CAST: Sean Patrick Flannery, Norman Reedus, Willem Defoe, David Della Rocco, Billy Connolly DIRECTED BY: Troy Duffy SUMMARY: Encouraged by the public's praise, two Catholic brothers, Conner and Murphy MacManus bring a bloody brand of vigilante justice against Boston's… More
  CAST: Sean Patrick Flannery, Norman Reedus, Willem Defoe, David Della Rocco, Billy Connolly DIRECTED BY: Troy Duffy SUMMARY: Encouraged by the public's praise, two Catholic brothers, Conner and Murphy MacManus bring a bloody brand of vigilante justice against Boston's Russian mafia and crime lord Yakavetta. MY THOUGHTS: I liked it, thought it had some good action. Not as funny as I thought it would be. But a good movie none the less. Really liked the 'funny man'. He made me laugh a few times. But Willem Defoe really shocked me in this film. He was great and really stands out in this movie.. You will see why or know why if you have seen this or are going to see this. Anyways, a good time kind of movie with great action, a bit funny, and very much entertaining... See it if you haven't.

• KJ P

  
  Slick and stylish all the way through. The camera techniques are a wonderous sight to behold. A fantastic mob story that is left open for a continuous story, but I doubt it could be as good as a sequel. There is not much that could be improved here. This film is underrated and should… More
  Slick and stylish all the way through. The camera techniques are a wonderous sight to behold. A fantastic mob story that is left open for a continuous story, but I doubt it could be as good as a sequel. There is not much that could be improved here. This film is underrated and should be rated as a higher classic! This movie is a rollicking gun slicking, mob attacking, nicely shot thriller. Comicle and Magnificent!

• Dean M

  
  Highly enjoyable, if also highly improbable, actioner about two Irish brothers who accidentally find themselves killers when they take out three Russian mobsters through pure chance. The due decide to help out society by killing those who are corrupt and evil but along the way find… More
  Highly enjoyable, if also highly improbable, actioner about two Irish brothers who accidentally find themselves killers when they take out three Russian mobsters through pure chance. The due decide to help out society by killing those who are corrupt and evil but along the way find themselves marked by the mobsters and soon have a hired assassin and the FBI on their trail. It's clear from the star that everyone is having great fun with their roles. The 1999 film is a bit different from the typical action movie as it doesn't have car-chases or explosions. The action consists of stylish shooting sprees - it's a different kind of vigilante movie. I was surprised to see the same cast including detectives and a bartender appeared in the sequel just before I finally watched this first one.

• Film C

  
  i really enjoyed this movie, i liked the humour, the action and the storyline!! it was explosive, action packed and just a really good enjoyable movie, that iu can see why its liked by many people cant believe critics didnt like this movie!! its about a couple of irish vigilantie… More
  i really enjoyed this movie, i liked the humour, the action and the storyline!! it was explosive, action packed and just a really good enjoyable movie, that iu can see why its liked by many people cant believe critics didnt like this movie!! its about a couple of irish vigilantie brothers who go killing mafia bosses, its really good and worth the watch!!

• Al S

  
  A powerful thriller. Wickedly funny, twisted, bullet-riddled fun. An action-packed thrill-ride that packs an electrifying mixture of bullets, humor, brains, style and originality into one lethal dosage of a movie. Heart-pounding and adrenaline-pumping from start to finish. It's… More
  A powerful thriller. Wickedly funny, twisted, bullet-riddled fun. An action-packed thrill-ride that packs an electrifying mixture of bullets, humor, brains, style and originality into one lethal dosage of a movie. Heart-pounding and adrenaline-pumping from start to finish. It's thrilling, exciting, exhilarating and absolutely breathtaking. Willem Dafoe is brilliant and cool, it's one of the best performances of his career. Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus are fantastic, they have unique and very compelling chemistry together. A rocking good time. It's almost too entertaining for it's own good. Lots of guilty pleasure fun that you cant get enough of. One of finest independent films I've seen ever. This film delivers the goods. It's an instant classic. A great mixture of film noir, neo noir and dark comedy. An edge of your seat flick that proves to be absolutely addictive.

• Lewis C

  
  I can't decide if The Boondock Saints is crazy -awesome, or if it's just crazy. This is clearly the work of some imaginative people that had the freedom to make whatever kind of movie that they wanted. It's certainly a unique experience. The whole movie is so… More
  I can't decide if The Boondock Saints is crazy -awesome, or if it's just crazy. This is clearly the work of some imaginative people that had the freedom to make whatever kind of movie that they wanted. It's certainly a unique experience. The whole movie is so over-the-top and absurd, that you're not going to enjoy it unless you go into it with a tongue-in-cheek vibe. It made me laugh several times and I loved the way half the story was told from the detective's point of view. So I guess you can call me a fan...which makes me a bit insane.

• Cassandra M

  
  First - what is this film really about? Towards the end of the last century, only two cities in America had an "Irish mob", Boston and Brooklyn, and Brooklyn's was fading fast, caught up in smuggling in easily identifiable illegal aliens and smuggling guns back to an… More
  First - what is this film really about? Towards the end of the last century, only two cities in America had an "Irish mob", Boston and Brooklyn, and Brooklyn's was fading fast, caught up in smuggling in easily identifiable illegal aliens and smuggling guns back to an IRA that's no longer even all that popular in the north.. During the 1980s, an enterprising FBI agent got it in his head that the way to contain the Italian mob in Boston (which was still strong on the docks) was to pay the South Boston Irish mob to rub them out. The scheme not only proved ineffective, but surfaced publicly and created quite a scandal. Several films were made about it; besides this one, the only other film loosely derived from the event that I've seen is "Southie". Most of these films - including this one, have taken an odd tact - they have concerned themselves largely with two questions: First, what does it mean to be "Irish American" in the post-modern era, when no American gives a damn about Irish ancestry anymore; and second, what is the difference between Irish Catholicism and Italian Catholicism, as found in the underworld, which, after all, suffers from a want of morality all together. Those who've seen "Good Will Hunting" will recognize the first question. Although the second question seems completely off the wall, it should still ring a few bells - remember "Road to Perdition"? How about Ray Iotta's character in "Goodfellas" (he's never a 'made-man' to the mob because he's half-Irish)? Troy Duffy has made this second issue central and made the first dependent on it - what remains of Irish-American culture is derived from Irish Catholicism (this, by the way, is a very Irish view on the matter). However, being an Irish Catholic in America inevitably involves a certain amount of apostasy - i.e., transgressive skepticism - which, for every Irish American boy leads through a phase of a profound sense of undefinable guilt - God probably doesn't exist, but he's still judging us anyway. Eventually, there are only two ways to wrench one's self out of this guilt - through art or through laughter. Duffy is clearly using both. What Duffy has done is to take Irish Catholicism, sent it back to its roots in the later Dark Ages, dragged it through all kinds of post-modern angst (represented largely by Dafoe, but discoverable at virtually every turn), and resurrected it as an allegory of Christ's Passion represented as tale of Medieval knights in navy pea-coats with guns. Whew! But this explains why someone like myself, hardly an adolescent "fanboy", might actually like this film. The ironies are so rich, and so deeply embedded with history, that there's always some new twist on the ancient myths turning up at every moment. And the complete disjunction between the ancient myths and the post-modern world in which they appear creates a tension that cannot be resolved in the film itself, but must be left with the audience as a question. A violent funny gut-wrenching and disturbing film; a fine farewell to the last century, even if it bodes not well for the new. (Oh, and what IS the difference between Irish Catholicism and Italian Catholicism in the criminal underworld? In the old Irish ghettos you either became a priest, a cop, or a drunk; and later your mom made you feel bad for not becoming one of the other two. In the old Italian ghettos you became a drunken priest and shot the cop. Later your mom made you lasagna.)

Read all 20 featured audience ratings