Monday 18 June 2012

The Boondock Saints

I hope no one has forgotten me by now. Its been a long time since I have posted something. I am so sorry for not being able to read your wonderful blogs and for not being able to provide you with something worth reading.

Here in this post I would be talking about The Boondock Saints. This movie is one of my favorite crime/action thrillers. It follows the story of two Irish brothers, Connor McManus(Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy McManus (Norman Reedus).

The story starts with the two brothers attending Mass at the church and then going off to live their normal life. While they are celebrating at their usual pub, they run into trouble with some people from the Russian Mafia. The brothers try to settle out peacefully but things don't go smooth and the brothers end up thrashing and humiliating those people. The next morning when the Mafia people are back for their revenge, the brothers accidentally kill them in self defense.

FBI Special Agent Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe) is assigned to the case. One can clearly see in the film that this man is gifted in detection of crimes. Just by looking at the crime scene he can visualize the crime which must have happened there. By this time, the locals consider the brothers as heroes for killing those bad guys. Just when Smecker is working out on a plan to catch them, the brothers turn themselves in and accept their crime. But Smecker develops a good rapport with the boys and frees them but for their safety and to avoid media he asks them to spend the night in the holding cell.

At that night in the holding cell, the brothers experience an epiphany where they get a calling from God to destroy all wicked persons and prosper the innocents. Thus they manage enough ammunition and other useful things and start out their war against the wicked people. With their unique trademark of putting coins on the eyes of their victims after killing them, as if to pay the toll to cross the River Styx.

In their journey they are joined by a friend who on learning that his boss, a member of a crime family has sold him, vows revenge. And Smecker on the other hand who believes at first that the murders are a result of some mob war, begins to search for the true killers. Also in there is one Il Duce ("The Duke"), a dangerous man, the Mafia brings out to find and kill the brothers.

A good film with a good story and proper execution. The story takes us in completely. Inspite of meeting with poor critical reviews upon release, the film has grossed about $50 million in domestic video and has developed a large cult following over the years.  A sequel named The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day which takes the story forward as well as goes deeper in the mysterious life of their father, whom they meet towards the end of the original movie was released in 2009.