Shelf Life: The Boondock Saints

Every week, Shelf Life sees Tom White select and talk about a movie that lives on his DVD shelf, one he thinks we should all see.

Released in 1999, The Boondock Saints is a movie more known for its problems than anything else. The script, written by first timer Troy Duffy, was regarded as the hottest script in Hollywood, and when it was picked up by Miramax, Duffy was attached to direct, even though he had zero experience in the field. What followed, as captured in the documentary Overnight, will live on in infamy as Duffy's ego took control. He burnt every bridge he could in Hollywood, insulting and alienating producer and actor alike, resulting in the first time director becoming blacklisted in the industry. This ill will spilled over into the films release, receiving only one week in five theaters, and garnering poor reviews. But despite all these problems, The Boondock Saints still holds pride and place on my DVD shelf, an energetic and entertaining ride that promised so much if ego didn't get in the way.

An stylish tale of urban vigilantism, Boston is the setting for a war on organised crime, perpetrated by the MacManus Brother, Conor and Murphy (Sean Patrick Flannery and Norman Reedus), who believe they received this calling from God himself. As over the top and cheesy the story threatens to become, there is an energy that runs through that keeps it on track. Flannery and Reedus are perfect as the squabbling MacManus Brothers, almost tripping from one act of supreme violence to the next. They are the most bumbling vigilantes ever committed to the screen, and the humour, of the blackest variety is kept high as the film blasts through its , reaching its high point with one of the greatest throw away gags of all time, as the accidental murder of a beloved family pet is glossed over by putting its polaroid in the middle of the extensive blood splatter. The scenes of the brothers blood letting puncuate the story in a big way, and Duffy teases us with a big action scene only to deny us it for a few more scenes, where it is replayed in all its brutal glory, as Willem DeFoe's FBI Agent Smecker puts all the pieces together during his crime scene investigation. These escalate as the movie goes on, cumulating in a massive shoot out which Smecker inserts himself into. These scenes are the movies calling card, extreme scenes of brutal violence rendered that bit more palatable by some stylish flourishes and sharp editing.

A wealth of kooky and off beat characters, including the brilliant and flamboyant Agent Smecker, David Della Rocco's bumbling mob henchman...........David Della Rocco, and Billy Connolly's honorable hit man Il Duce, help keep The Boondock Saints ticking over, and while some of Duffy's script needs a major polish (those poor reviews weren't entirely unfounded), they make it work. The movie isn't perfect, but it works as the perfect slice of stylish escapism, an action movie that knows exactly what it wants to do, and does it without a seconds thought.

Despite bombing at the box office, The Boondock Saints found a second life on it's DVD release, pocketing $50 million off of a $6 million budget (the original budget was $15 million but was cut due to Duffy's shenanigans), which Duffy never saw a penny of due to a contract agreement with Miramax. The movie went on to develop a massive cult following, which clamoured for more adventures of the MacManus brothers, and 10 years after it release, The Boondock Saints II: All Saint's Day finally arrived, tensions between Duffy and Hollywood having cooled some what. The decade wait wasn't kind to the sequel, which seemed robbed of the energy which made the original so enjoyable. Duffy is still keeping The Boondock Saints alive, with a second sequel and t.v show being rumoured. But it's the original that deserves your attention, a stylish exercise in action that surpasses the numerous problems that dogs it.