The Boondock Saints (1999)

Two Irish Catholic brothers become vigilantes and wipe out Boston's criminal underworld in the name of God.

Director:

Troy Duffy

Writer:

Troy Duffy

Stars:

Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Willem Dafoe	...	Paul Smecker
Sean Patrick Flanery	...	Connor MacManus
Norman Reedus	...	Murphy MacManus
David Della Rocco	...	Rocco
Billy Connolly	...	Il Duce
David Ferry	...	Detective Dolly
Brian Mahoney	...	Detective Duffy
Bob Marley	...	Detective Greenly
Richard Fitzpatrick	...	The Chief
William Young	...	Monsignor
Robert Pemberton	...	Macklepenny
Bill Craig	...	McGerkin
Dot-Marie Jones	...	Rosengurtle Baumgartener (as Dorothy-Marie Jones)
Scott Griffith	...	Ivan Checkov
Layton Morrison	...	Vladdy

Storyline

Two Irish brothers accidentally kill mafia thugs. They turn themselves in and are released as heroes. They then see it as a calling by God and start knocking off mafia gang members one by one. Willem Dafoe plays the detective trying to figure out the killings, but the closer he comes to catching the Irish brothers, the more he thinks the brothers are doing the right thing.

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Plot Keywords:

gay slur | gay | cauterizing a wound | male male kiss | drinking | 

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Taglines:

The MacManus Brothers aren't angels, they're just sent from heaven to make life a hell for all sinners

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, language and sexual content

Did You Know?

Trivia

Patrick Swayze, Robert De Niro, Sir Kenneth Branagh, and Kevin Spacey passed on the role of Paul Smecker.

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Goofs

Rosengurtle Baumgartner is wrong about what "rule of thumb" means. In reality "rule of thumb" is a medieval term referring to an ordinary, everyday measurement system. The idea that "rule of thumb" condones spousal abuse is believed by many people, but isn't true. The "wife beater's rule of thumb" was invented in 1782 by a humorist, James Gillray, as a metaphor to satirize incompetent legal systems. Many people mistakenly believed (and still do) that he was referring to an existing law.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mackiepenny: Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, the glory, now and forever. Amen.

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Crazy Credits

Clips of people being interviewed about their opinions on "the saints" are shown while the credits roll.

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Alternate Versions

The Malaysian version of the film (and possibly the Hong Kong/China print) is uncut and in English. That print has all the violent scenes missing from the Canada and US release. On the downside it's full screen and not letterbox.

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Connections

References The Lone Ranger (1938)

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Soundtracks

The Blood of Cuchulainn
Composed by Jeff Danna and Mychael Danna
Administered by Superliminal Music (ASCAP)

User Reviews

Brilliant Gem of a film

Finally got round to watching this and was not dissapointed in the slightest. A bonefied cult classic of a film there's so much on offer here be that the cast which comprised of: Sean Patrick Flanery, Willem Dafoe, Billy Connolly or the now "A lister" Norman Reedus of Walking Dead fame, or even the fantastically stylish and well executed plot of the film it's highly enjoyable. Fitting of many of the films released around the turn of the millennium it possesses that flair and charm which the dawn of 2000 bought with it see for example Snatch which has a fairly similar 'look' to this film and certainly a common charm. The story is full of laughs, highs and lows, dramatic and fantastic action and a surprisingly decent twist which personally upon first viewing wasn't obvious so in all this is a hidden gem of a film that's certainly worth your time. I highly recommend

Details

Official Sites:

MySpace Official Fansite

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English Spanish Papiamento Russian Latin

Release Date:

21 January 2000 (Canada)

Also Known As:

The Boondock Saints

Filming Locations:

Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$19,930, 23 January 2000

Gross USA:

$30,471

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$30,471

Company Credits

Production Co:

Franchise Pictures, Brood Syndicate, Fried Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min 102 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1