DISCLAIMER: If you like this movie, that's absolutely fine. Calling people names in the comments isn't going to make me like the film... so maybe just don't do that, please. I love Norman Reedus and Willem Dafoe as much as anyone. Not everyone needs to like the same things as you. What's your history with "The Boondock Saints"? Do you like it or are you similarly perplexed as to its popularity? Let us know down in the comments. The best way to help us out is to share these videos on Twitter/Reddit/Discord and do all that liking and commenting business. If you're in a position to do so, you can also sign up over at www.patreon.com/inframeout to get your name in the credits and join our Film Club and Discord. IFO x
This is my favorite movie of all time from when it came out till today in 2022 where I’m almost 40. I would never call someone who doesn’t like this film names tho, everyone has there personal opinion. I like it and don’t have to explain myself why just like someone who hates this film doesn’t have to explain why. I don’t understand stand where people couldn’t have a option anymore
Uhhhhh the title in no way says you're wrong for liking it. Art is subjective. You're the one getting upset because someone said they think a film is bad
@@inframeout Im POLISH/CZECH and I LOVED the both "Boondock Saints" movies... I speak five languages (so probably more than you 😉) Got two Masters Degrees... "Bro movie" - that's a SLUR... I always saw this movie as a funny action comedy in the likes of "Die Hard" Your review about the quality of this movie is right. But there are movies that were even more expensive and were made even more poorly... This movie is like the essence of US film industry: Too expensive, made poorly but still it brings in money...
Each time Smecker investigates a crime scene he keeps getting closer and closer until he is actually filmed standing next to them during the crime scenes. This movie is in my top 10.
@@LukenatorFTW closer and closer to solving the crimes and discovering their identity. So they shoot it in a way that he keeps becoming more involved in the scenes when he is trying to figure out what happened. I think. I heard that somewhere.
You're right about the editing, but I did find the scenes comparing the crime scene to what actually happened to be quite entertaining, instead of showing the action first, the show what the detectives are thinking, and then what actually went down.
There is one scene in the movie that sticks with me and it is why I love the movie so much. When the Russians come back to the brothers apartment before they take them to the alley, there is just a second where Murph is shown glancing back at Connor. In that one brief second, you see it all. The love between them, the fear of losing each other and also how dangerous they truly are.
Its a cult movie for everything you railed it about. It was the most unconventional movie out there. The plot made 0 sense. but somehow youve sat and watched the whole movie again for the 5th time.... Its a very well acted, and better shot Neil Breen movie.
It makes a bit of sense. Vigilantes on behalf of God. A bit like Daredevil except he uses religion to help him spare lives, no matter how evil they are. I watched it on TV as a child and I liked the action. I preferred Con Air as a child through.
This. It's unconventional approach is what grabbed the attention. The plot itself isn't that special if one thinks about it. The way it's played out differs it from other flicks.
The boondock saints isn’t a revolutionary film but I still can’t help but like it. It’s just mindless fun you can watch after a long day where all you want to do is relax. It’s also just kinda charming. I feel like all the actors had a fun time on set
What Boondock lacks in technical merit is overcome by passion, which is missing from many over-polished Hollywood films. I don't know how I would feel about this movie had I not lived my first 50 years in Boston. Boondocks Saints captures some of the essence of the South Boston Irish culture remarkably well.
For every reason you dislike this movie, I found it amusing. It’s like a B-rated movie that made it through the cracks. I don’t believe it was ever meant to be taken too seriously
I really enjoyed this in college in 2010 but now I just cringe at how bad at is. I love b movies too but something feels so off about this. I’d love to know what younger people in college now feel about this.
I probably know snatch line for line at this point and recently decided to rewatch lock stock for the first time in years and man what a rough around the edges, low budget yet highly entertaining and fantastically written gem. I'd love to see more love for it. I love showing it and Snatch to my American friends to showcase what British gangster/action movies are like.
@@RykerJones28 Could not agree more, love both films and if you look how low budget both of them are, you know they were made by a really intelligent director
@codyjohnson6957 me too. loved it then, loving it now. Maybe it's a generation thing, idk. I think Willem Defoe alone makes it totally worth watching it.
Haven't seen this movie in forever but I remember finding it kind of charming for almost all of the negatives pointed out in this video. I took it as more of an action comedy. I remember laughing a lot during this movie, so it's kind of a guilty pleasure I guess.
I swear Boston has more lead in the water than Flint. Imagine having this piece of schlock as a cultural and regional touchstone. Boston was a mistake.
Personally I love this movie even tho it’s a shitshow with a lot of repetition and boring plot I love the chemistry between the actors they all seem like they enjoyed being around eachother having fun messin around with all the stupid jokes
I mean come on... Yes I love Boondock Saints both 1st and the 2nd.. But comparing the first movie to the Matrix... You're are literally comparing something that has a budget of 6M$ vs god damn 63M$
Just finished watching it after hearing of its cult status. I personally kept getting the sense that it was really reaching for that "cool" factor in cinema, what with the stylish dress and gun fights, but I can't help but feel that it came across as seriously forced at times. Obviously the whole movie wasn't terrible but I just couldn't shake that feeling of trying too hard to be cool that it just falls semi flat.
List of movies from 6:39: Badlands (Terrence Malick) Blood Simple (The Coen Brothers) Bound (The Wachowskis) Brick (Rian Johnson) Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly) El Mariachi (Robert Rodriguez) Get Out (Jordan Peele) Hard Eight (Paul Thomas Anderson) Hunger (Steve McQueen) Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels (Guy Ritchie) Monsters (Gareth Edwards) Moon (Duncan Jones) Near Dark (Kathryn Bigelow) Pi (Darren Aronofsky) Primer (Shane Carruth) Pusher (Nicolas Winding Refn) Ratcatcher (Lynne Ramsay) Raw (Julia Ducournau) Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino) Saw (James Wan) The Farewell (Lulu Wang)
It's just pure unabashed fun. If you don't like the humor, which the reviewer clearly does not, it's not for you. It has so many scenes us fans can watch over and over.
This video illustrates most issues with “video essay” type videos. Most of your issues are entirely based on personal preference but you’re presenting them as factual. Implying that only idiots would like this movie, a character saying racist or homophobic things does not mean people who like the movie or made the movie are bigoted. This is a good video but I think you should reconsider how you structure your arguments
I totally respect that you're a fan - and thank you for being civil and reasonable. I genuinely appreciate it. Most of this is naturally based in opinion (such is the nature of media literacy and film criticism). At no point do I say anyone who likes this film is a bigot. I merely highlight how the racism and homophobia informed the writing (given that it's written by someone who proudly makes prejudicial, hateful statements and doesn't try to hide his troubling beliefs) and how it doesn't actually add anything to the characters or narrative, functionally or texturally. Also - there is technical, researched and experiential reasoning behind my criticism of the outright blatant editing mistakes, screenplay formatting, structural inconsistency etc (which have nothing to do with my personal distaste for the films on a personal level). Again - I meant no offense to you or anyone who digs these films, and thanks for giving a differing opinion a fair and reasoned shake
Having just watched this knowing nothing, this movie was just entertaining at its core, which is why I think it has the success it does. The humor comes from the tone juxtaposition, clearly taking itself too seriously, and the fact it is a movie you wouldn’t see made today at all. That last part speaks more today than a lot of people are going to admit. I don’t think it ever was trying to be anything more than that (as in, not one of the legendaries that came before), yet it became a cult classic because it didn’t care. And that alone was entertaining to look past the clear as day, poor plot and dialogue. Sharknado has a similar perception. This film doesn’t change being worse than a lot of other movies that did it better, but it’s made much more an impression of being fun to watch than a lot of the sanitized and uninspired trash media from the last 10 years.
I've never been a fan of The Boondock Saints and never did see the appeal, but it is unquestionable that it has an audience and fans. Personally, I just found it boring and the onslaught of f-bombs was a complete overkill. I did find Overnight a much more interesting viewing experience which explained a lot of what ends up in Boondock Saints. But, to be fair, the people that made the documentary were aiming to make as much damage as possible to Duffy and it shows in the end product. For all its flaws and problems I'll say something positive about the film: Dafoe just goes for it and, despite its problems, still delivers and entertaining performance. Great video!
Even if it a it's character hit piece i find it hard to believe that Duffy would even get far if the documentary was released. The dudes big mouth is what killed his career. Lucky for him he gets a third chance.
Sean from Cinematic excrement did a good look at ASD in a early review with the first half about Troy who got handed almost everything and acted like a fucking spoiled child the whole way through, just outright gross human being
"Looked dated even for the time". Honestly, that might be a "stumbled bassackwards into genius" attribute. I was squarely who they were aiming for (and got) with this movie when it came out. With the style and virtually no promotion or theatrical release, I genuinely thought at the time it was a mid 90's action movie that I had missed, and that's a big part of it's appeal. The behind the scenes issues, but their ability to get someone like Dafoe, made it *feel* that way; they accidentally found a new formula for an instant classic appeal.
It's good because it's bad. If it wasnt rough around the edges.. I don't know. The shootouts are chaos, that's true to reality. When you beat a loaded handgun on the table, people can die. The characters displayed urgency and despair quite well so... I, on the other hand could ask why gun-Ballett a la John wick is so beloved now. It's bullshit, it is pure optics... Nothing conveys that there are people being killed. The way of the gun was so tense in this regard....
@@AllisterCaine There's an interesting take. I liked the first JW because it was frantic, and I felt the setting (revenge of a mythically skilled and seasoned assassin - as opposed to BDS's out-of-depth vigilantes) justified the intricate gunplay. And then the sequels introduced all sorts of body armor for the goons so that John can look better as he grapples with them and shoots repeatedly down. That I did not like. If you're trying to sell a film based on the quality of its action scenes, the worst thing to do is to pull out every excuse possible to prolong said scenes.
Filmmaking and screen/script do make this movie a unique classic; I would contrast it to Cloverfield where go-pro shaky cam filmmaking and screen/script don't make for a good movie, I think Cloverfield is trash but that's my taste nothing more. In comparison, though, to Cloverfield, Boondock Saints could be an equivalent to Go-Pro vigilantism with a lot of MTv "Real World" vibes through & through e.g. improv and unrefined dialogue, off the cuff, normies turned famous. I like Boondock Saints as a film, script, story, etc. because of how relatable and approachable it causes the plot and characters to appear. All the rudeness, the jokes, the confusion & sloppiness make for a touch more reality into the viewer's world, rather than a greater suspension of disbelief therefore entering a less relatable story world. Intention of director duffy or not, it isn't a quality & refined film and that's why I see it Still Abides.
Thank you. Differences in opinion are good for many reasons; I liked your presentation and really understand your point in saying (gist of course) "if you submitted this script in film school, you'd flunk". It stands out in a glaring fashion that two big camps have arisen, but neither camp is wrong, merely holds differences in taste. Have a good day and keep on releasing content 😎
16:04 I first saw the boondock saints when i was in high school at a time when i had a very admittedly dude-bro mentality and saw saw film much less critically and more just for the entertainment value. The boondock saints became one of my favorite movies for all the reasons you mentioned earlier but the thing that attracted me the most to Boondock saints was the display of brotherhood between the Mcmanus brothers that resonated with me as i have brothers i also feel very strongly about . What im saying is i think the thing that draws people to this film is that it acts like a dude-bro rorschach test with a wide spectrum of themes meant to appeal to a very specific type of people that will find whatever it is they are looking for in the film. Seeing scenes from it now i have to admit that the film did not age well lol.
Bashir: but does every scene really need to matter? Garak: my dear doctor every scene needs to matter Bashir even the ones that don't? Garak: especially the ones that dont
My poor high school had few treasures to offer its students, but one such privilege was our little film class. Not every school had a film class in our city, in fact most didn’t, so I was grateful to have something in my curriculum that I was fascinated by for four years other than literature and history. Over the years I’m glad to say I learned quite a lot from my teachers and peers there. However.. This film was almost REQUIRED viewing material for us. The teacher and assistant as well as many of the students had all seen and worshipped the film, placing it on a mantle alongside 90’s hits like Pulp Fiction and Fight Club. I went into the film expecting something great and came out… underwhelmed, yet I forced myself to focus on the aspects I enjoyed because, well, it was supposed to be amazing and I didn’t want to come across as the idiot who “didn’t” get the film. But in the. Ack of my head, I regretted not saying how I felt. This would occur a few times over my educational journey there, and with each overhyped film that didn’t connect with me, I found myself feeling as though I was missing something fundamental. Needless to say, twenty years later and that’s not the case anymore. Quite the opposite in fact. Fantastic video on an unfortunately rare take. Your research and editing are always top notch.
It honestly feels that this whole mess of a franchise is what a Tarantino movie would look like if the only movie or show he'd ever watched was the second half of deathwish, and the first half of deathwish 3, not even those entire movies, just half of them.
Yep, when I was 14 my favorite movies were taxi driver, pulp fiction, clockwork orange, romper stomper, and yup. I could not discern a difference in cinematic quality between these films, they were just Punk Rock. To be clear I was never a Right-winger and even then I knew I politically disagreed with these films, but I had never encountered a film that was "socially challenging" (which I very much wanted to do) from a Leftist perspective. Also, like Donnie Darko, this was a film I first discovered from a second hand VHS copy that I presumed nobody but my friends and I knew about, and it must be very cool.
I don't hate the movie but man do I hate the fanbase. It's just a Boston version of Desperado but the fans piss their pants over this film like it's the second coming of Christ.
Some of the more toxic elements of the fanbase are truly unbelievable in their commitment to violently defending a trash genre movie made by one of the biggest jerks to ever come out of Boston
too much racism and homophobia? cmon mate its 1999 everyday movie goers barely gave a shit about those topics back then just look at the video games and tv shows that came out around that timeframe they all contain both of it not on the same amount of this movie and it managed to be successful, you got a good analysis this is a edgy movie and I get why it cant be for everyone and doesn't make a drop of sense fitting into the world of today and is frowned upon by ppl today looking back on it
As someone who was very much alive and aware at the time it came out, just about every single critic and film theorist at the time also condemned Duffy's disgusting attitudes...and that's before the documentary that outright confirmed it wasn't creative license or artistic expression, but just a particularly horrible man expressing his bigotry
This. But I would also say it gave us the ability to identify people who are under 90 IQ and probably have low impulse control. Furthermore, it gave fathers a way to screen out undesirable suitors (in case the flat brim hat and cursing at the dinner table wasn’t enough of a give away). Normally the problem with a scarlet letter is that people can and will hide it, but not fans of Boondock Saints. They will proudly announce the fact that they’re profoundly unintelligent. Just look at this comment section.
@@itswrongtokillanimalsifyou2837 Don't get me wrong, I know it's no pulp fiction and it definitely has it's flaws, but it works really well as a B grade action/crime movie. It's enjoyable.
@@jedlawson3494 Fair enough. I'm happy for those who can look past poor quality execution and enjoy whatever's left. It certainly leaves more movies to watch.
I thought the racist joke wasn't pointless. I thought that it was the reason the boss decided to send in Rocco to kill those guys. I asked Troy Duffy about it, he said he hadn't really thought about it. So maybe I saw a point in it where there there really wasn't one
The point of the joke... you guys went out of your way to hate on it... when in fact it's the most character develope scene in the whole movie. It shows you the life and identity of Rocco. The joke is bad, he knows it. He is telling a joke to save his life from awful people. So he tells an awful joke, in defeat, to survive the gangster world he is currently trapped in.
This is exactly it. The opening scene establishes very little regarding the titular characters relationships, and paints Rocco as an obvious outlier, being the only member of the mob present. Sure, he's jovial in all of his scenes, but we have no frame of reference for whether these are old pals, or people who just wanted to celebrate. Then, the Russians arrive, establishing a definitive line of "mob bad, people outside of it good". Even though Rocco is on the defensive, that could easily be interpreted as interpersonal conflict between the different orgs, and less about being personally affronted on behalf of his friend. By the end of that scene, we're left not knowing whether Rocco is truly an "everyman" like the rest, or a mafia thug who just happened to be there. It's well said in the hotel that the boys didn't have a plan, and Rocco takes the reigns to orchestrate the second half of the story, but we wouldn't understand his motivation without the scene with the joke. You could argue that he had a rapid change of allegiance when he realized he was being set up, but that route would have just been to move the story along, and relegate Rocco to merely a lazy, 1 dimentiomal plot device. We need the joke scene because we need to see Rocco in that environment, juxtaposed to the bar, and see his unease and reluctance so that we can trust and sympathize with him as being on the "good" side, and not a pawn. I would say it's as important of a scene to establish character as the one with Smecker in the confessional.
This movie is a cult classic , i don’t care what anyone saids . It will never be Disney star wars bad . Is it perfect ? no but its a product of the time and many people i know love it
When I was entering to my teenage years me and my already teenager brother used to watch this movie on a loop. We just loved it, we waited for it on tv, we looked for it on internet. But one day we just grew up and very recently we have the opportunity to watch this movie again after many years without seeing it. We thought that was the most depressing thing in the world to do because this movie is just pathethic, and we used to like this kind of shitty violent things but we found out the truth about it. I wish I had not watched and just keep thinking about the movie as a representation of good old times when you do not know much about movies or basically about nothing. What a crap. The worst thing is that I have never seen such a good video essay about how bad is this, until now of course, merci.
I remember watching this for the first time in high school after being asked multiple times if I had seen it. I didn't really have a critical opinion at the time. Except for those terrible Irish accents. Not having watched it for almost 20 years until this past weekend the accents still make me cringe and this was the first time I watched it with captions on because I had a hard time hearing what the actors were shouting to each other. The fade to black transitions don't help the movie telling a linear story. I think the only saving grace this movie has is Willem Dafoe's exentric performance as Smecker. But I do get this that movie was made for pure entertainment and not giving a flying fuck about how you should make a movie. Boondock Saints is just one of these shoot em up stylized violent films that we keep seeing come out in the last 25 years and very few of them receive a cult following. Now I have only seen the second installment once, I'm a bit curious to see how the third one turns out.
literally everything you said can be said for Matrix... William Dafoe's character actually was probably the best thing for gay people for a majority of guys to see... it gave "macho guys" who hated gay people a reason to see someone, who even though he was gay, for the most part acted the same way they would. I don't remember any other gay characters (other than Cheers) in any other shows or movies that were portrayed as anything other than flamboyant over the top gay men.
It's not that great, but also, not that bad. I enjoyed it when I saw it many years ago except for the fact that I can't stand Willem Defoe. He gives me the full-body heaby-jeavies. Love Billy Connelly, though, so it almost balances out. 99% of the people who saw this movie and enjoyed it (or not) don't give a flying fig about camera angles, lighting, fades, etc. and wouldn't recognize the difference from one kind to the next.
The boondock saints is my favorite movie of all time. Namely because of how they show the aftermath of a scene first, then go back and show how it all played out. But really, the premise of killing the evil and wicked is good too
My biggest issue with it is just how pleased with itself it feels. It feels like it's trying to be an "elevated" version of a gnarly 90s action film (the sort of thing I have a major soft spot for), only without any creative novelty or thematic depth to justify it. I actually like stylistically masturbatory stuff when it's being done by someone who's actually doing something creative and interesting with the form but Troy Duffy never does. With that said, I will say that Willem Dafoe is great in everything without exception.
Love this movie it is not perfect by any means but not bad as some others claim either. The only people I see that have a problem with this movie is mostly over context from cry baby liberals who can’t tell the difference from reality and fiction
By that logic, the only people who like it are right wing bigots? Which isn't remotely true - but it goes to show that generalisations don't really work when you consider I criticize the technical, narrative and editorial failures of the film extensively but you main takeaway is "Liberals bad"
I can never listen to too many well-informed critics outline all the ways this movie blows. It’s been boggling my mind since seeing enough of my friends with Saints hoodies finally made me watch it. I wondered WTF am I missing - it’s not me. It’s definitely not me.
The only good part of the second movie (to me at least) was Il Duce (Billy Connoly’s character) and his backstory. I was kinda annoyed that they didn’t make an entire movie based on him - and I actually liked the first movie
I remember being told about this movie by one of my more maniacal friends while a large group of us was waiting in a theater to watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding. if that's not a more early 2000's way to find out about a film, I don't know what is. So I go purchase a copy of it at Best Buy because I'm a budding film geek and I'm a sucker for anything indie and edge lord. At the time I thought it was pretty great, but at the same time the rampant racism and sexism that was played for laughs didn't really work. The giant action scene at the end that was just cut out made me feel disappointed. but i thought Willem Dafoe was awesome. That's probably what most will say, in fact. Willem Dafoe makes everything better. 18yrs later? I agree with all of your points except the stuff about #2. I fell asleep shortly after the character played by Clifton Collins Jr was introduced. Seriously, how does Troy Duffy get great character actors to do this tripe?
I can absolutely see that. Watching it now - there's almost no action in it, and what there is looks like it was shot by a blind goose holding a camera in its beak
@@inframeout Yeah I saw that now in the video. It is actually pretty ugly. Also I just remembered I found Willem Dafoe just plain cool in that "there was a firefight" scene. Oh and one actual point for the movie "The Blood of Cu Chulainn" is a great song. :)
I watched it as a teen because my dad showed me it and my dad being a proud Irish Canadian and Catholic, we bonded over it and it became my favourite movie for a while. Honestly though, looking back on it nowadays, the best part is still Willem Dafoe and the rest is um, not the best.
When I saw this movie in like 2006 or so, I thought its popularity was akin to the popularity of The Room or Plan 9. Then I found out people legitimately like this movie, and I felt terrible about the current state of humanity.
I saw it for the first time last night and was astonished this was ever considered a cult classic. Pure and utter tripe, and highly offensive to any demographic. The only thing that stopped me from turning off was how high I was
I rarely comment but I had to say this. I started dating a girl years ago and it was pretty good. Then her and her friends put on some of their favorite movies and put this on. The movie was so bad I completely forgot what I saw in her. Also I have Irish family from the east coast, so I felt even more violated. Great video by you.
I saw this movie for the first time as a kid and for a while was obsessed with it. Although I haven't seen it in a long while, even in hindsight I can identify a lot of the bad writing and aesthetic choices. I've been tempted to go back to it lately, fully prepared to see it for what it is, but also can see myself still enjoying the wanton violence.
Probably the worst thing the director could've done was kill off Rocco Like dude, he may have been a secondary protagonist, but he was easily the STAR of the movie. And it really shows considering even the most hardcore fans didn't really like the sequel. Makes you wonder what could have been
I wouldn't go so far as to say it's "terrible", but I definitely think that it is excessively overrated... I mean, considering the fact that it was Duffy's first film and that he both wrote and directed it, it's certainly an impressive feat, especially considering the massive cult following it's managed to gain over the years. As to the comments surrounding Duffy's character and demeanor, I can't really speak to that with any degree of honest credibility. I've met him myself on a few different occasions, and he was always nothing but courteous, kind, and polite every time and a true pleasure to speak with and spend time with. He actually remembered my name and certain details about me personally and our previous interaction(s) after meeting him the first time, so I've always found that to be impressive all things considered. I should also mention that of the multiple interactions I've had with him over the years, only two of them were like structured brief "meet and greet" type situations at conventions where he's likely to be on his best behavior, so to speak. The rest of our run-ins occured a bit more organically outside of such a structured environment. I definitely wasn't just sitting there jerking off his ego either, that's just not my style. Anyway, I feel like a lot of the complaints about the examples of 'racism' and 'homophobia' are a bit nitpicky and mostly irrelevant. The time and environment being depicted would involve these types of things, and it was intended to add to the dirty, gritty, less sanitized picture he was trying to convey. I'll agree that a lot of it is a bit gratuitous in many ways and that the story could have just as well done without any of it, but I do understand why it was included nonetheless as well as why it may detract from the films in the context of a modern 2022 lens for a lot of people. Hindsight tends to have that kind of effect on people, so I don't even necessarily feel that your complaints in this area are unwarranted either.
The first time I watched Boondock Saints it’s saving grace was Willem Dafoe’s character for me. He really worked his ass off scrutinizing his character for nuance and humour, and his delivery got quite a few laughs from me even with the insipid dialogue, he was clearly having fun with it. But rewatching it a few months ago I fell asleep halfway through, it was Tedious and chocked full of fumbling machismo and graceless juvenility
Not every movie is trying to win an Acedemy Award, my guy. Some movies merely succeed at being entertaining, unique, straightforward, and unpretentious.
I loved this movie when no one knew about it. Then I saw a guy with the prayer tattooed on his back and it lost it's shine for me. Never watched the 2nd one, never will.
I hardly think I'm the only person who thinks it's bad - look up just about any actual review from when it was released. It's cool you like it, and some folks don't and that's also fine
For reasons I hope to make clear, I am surprised at how dearly I treasure this critique. Your take on this film, from logistics to legacy is thunderous, thoughtful, thorough, and I suspect (as you likely predicted for years), practically thankless. I'm quite impressed at your declaration that the sequel is in fact the better of the two, as I personally watched it once and refuse to do so ever again. I saw Overnight years ago, and it was a revelation. Troy Duffy could die eating an entire bag of radioactive xenomorph shit and I wouldn't give a single, serious, silky fuck because nothing of value would be lost. I wish to further accentuate my praise for the quality of this critique by emphasizing that said kudos are from someone who still likes the initial offering, despite having grown to recognize its myriad failures and flaws. Fuck's sake, I still rock the P (Coat). Subbed.
It's crazy that no matter how much a person studies... talent, art, consideration, ect can't be taught.... This causes uncontrollable animosity... Guess unqualified mentality only comes from simps and hierarchy. Point made? Let creative freedom live... The biggest point was made in the beginning. The indifference in good men. The rest is real culture speech and depth of character. Angles and whatever camera work was little to do with good points.
Loved the movie when it first came out, there was so much clumsy shit with the gunfighting it seemed more realistic due to the lack of stylization. I was in high school. Didn't rewatch it before seeing the sequel, which IMO was unwatchable. Last year a friend of mine said they'd never seen it so we put it on. I cannot believe how insanely problematic this movie is, like man I cringed for 90 minutes straight. Homophobic jokes, transphobic jokes, racist jokes, sexual assault jokes, domestic violence jokes, none of them funny, none of them ironic. This movie can die in a fire.
The series "Beloved Comedy Relief" character Rocco is a pathologically racist homophobe who gropes an unconscious woman's bare breasts...god I hate this film so much
I think that this is a case of the movie is perfectly fine. its just not for you! its not meant to be a AAA movie. it is however fun and entertaining for most who watch it. hence its popularity! LAWYERED! 😜🤪😝
I agree with half of what you said in a filmmaking standpoint the movie is extremely weak with blackouts and 360's and stuff. But I love the every other things about it that you think is a negative. Racial slurs, of course these guys are not twitch streamers these are mobsters and drug dealers and shit. They don't care about political correctness. Shooting the cats by accident when you're drunk sexual assaults homophobia are all present in real life. And the think I hate the most about a film is when a uneducated lowlife drug dealer speaks like a collage professor. Movie is by no means pretty. It could be a masterpiece if someone more capable was to make it. But after all the points you were correct I still don't think this movie deserve this much criticism. This is a good movie. By no means for good writing or filming, it is good by sheer luck and chain of coincidences. And that bugs the people appreciating the technical side of the filmmaking. I watched it 30 times when I was young, I'm 31 now still watching it occasionally and still enjoying it.
I've seen enough crime films without racial slurs to think they are an unnecessary and controversial distraction from the plot, and off-putting to ethnic viewers affected by the slurs. Your realism excuse doesn't work because it's a fictional movie series depicting a vigilante duo killing off organized crime families, which in real life number from 3000 Mafiosi to 100,000 Yakuza. They only shoot a handful of gangsters in every fight scene. I can't see two brothers and their ex-con dad wiping out a drug cartel, which is a mercenary army in ballistic armor, with improvised narco-tanks!
That's the thing - I don't find these movies even remotely fun. They're also staggeringly racist and homophobic - but on top of that, they're extremely boring
@@margaretchayka6878 so the russian mafia...instead of killing the two blokes...drags one to just the right spot where the other bloke somehow carries a toilet and drops it on the thugs head (somehow not smashing his head to pieces) then the guy survives a 5 story fall with no injuries...how is that kind of inane stuff enjoyable???
@@margaretchayka6878 also the unlikeable "protagonists" the obvious attempt to emulate Tarantino, the bad acting, the bad script...you liked this really???
Saw this movie when I was 9 thought it was cool, grew up and saw it as a mess, but that redundancy of the crime scenes grew on me, reminds me of study in scarlet, smecker is unrealistic as Holmes but he gathers all his facts before making an assumption and I know it might make me juvenile but the scene when they kill that hitman I liked the superimposed smecker solving and the scene happening around him. I mean this movie is 90s Boston guy dialog written by a Boston guy it's brash it makes people uncomfortable and everyone in the scenes sees all the racism and homophobia as normal as it would have been to cops and blu collar guys. In it's time and place we all liked this and movies like the crow none of them are great but I still unknowingly quote these movies and even rewatched it after watching this critique of it and like all movies glad people still watch it and it's relevant. I also want to say overnight is worth watching too knowing how fucked up Hollywood is and the people Duffy was at odds with it's left me with a lot of questions. It's also just amazing that this dude got a movie deal and got it made with William Defoe and Billy Connolly, everything about this movie being made interests me I'd love to have been there to see this or Bourne identity made despite the chaos of the director and production problems.
It’s a good movie, not amazing but definitely not bad. It’s pretty impressive for a director to come out of nowhere and direct a movie of this caliber. However, Troy Duffy is such an egomaniac who pretty much blackballed himself from Hollywood.
As someone who grew up in Southie, Southie is nothing like Boondock Saints, Southie is the asshole maker of Boondock saints. It is different now but then it was very much a town of racist drunken violence and spite couched in self importance. Watching it originally I loved it thinking it was an ironic takedown of the 80s genre when I found it was what it was what it was on the surface I despised it. When I saw the sequel I hated the original more.
I’ve been saying this movie is terrible since I saw it for the first time 14 years ago. Absolutely hate it and hate it even more every time I’m forced to watch it
It is a film that I have now watched multiple times for research, read every positive review I could find and tried my absolute best to find something good about it and I...just...can't. From the cinematography to the editing, from the writing to the performances, from the direction to the lighting - it is all absolute rubbish
I loved it when I first saw it, as I hear other opinions I seem to like it less and less. It was one of the movies that got me into cinema as a teenager in the first place though, so it's always going to have a special place in my heart. I do have better taste now I hope, I continue to watch better films as time goes by
The first boondock saints movie was lightning in a bottle. Easily one of the greatest action crime films of all time. The second movie was a caricature of the first film 😢
Even if I agreed with you on every point you made (I don’t at all) …. Eunice Bloom was the sexiest cop EVER to be put on film. She made it all worth while. DAYUM!!!
DISCLAIMER: If you like this movie, that's absolutely fine. Calling people names in the comments isn't going to make me like the film... so maybe just don't do that, please. I love Norman Reedus and Willem Dafoe as much as anyone. Not everyone needs to like the same things as you.
What's your history with "The Boondock Saints"? Do you like it or are you similarly perplexed as to its popularity? Let us know down in the comments.
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IFO x
I found out about The Boondocks Saints from Cinematic Excrements review of the sequel. Dear god the history behind this movie is fascinating!!!
I absolutely can't wait for the 3rd one to come out. FINALLY!!!
This is my favorite movie of all time from when it came out till today in 2022 where I’m almost 40. I would never call someone who doesn’t like this film names tho, everyone has there personal opinion. I like it and don’t have to explain myself why just like someone who hates this film doesn’t have to explain why. I don’t understand stand where people couldn’t have a option anymore
Uhhhhh the title in no way says you're wrong for liking it. Art is subjective. You're the one getting upset because someone said they think a film is bad
@@inframeout Im POLISH/CZECH and I LOVED the both "Boondock Saints" movies...
I speak five languages (so probably more than you 😉) Got two Masters Degrees...
"Bro movie" - that's a SLUR...
I always saw this movie as a funny action comedy in the likes of "Die Hard"
Your review about the quality of this movie is right. But there are movies that were even more expensive and were made even more poorly...
This movie is like the essence of US film industry: Too expensive, made poorly but still it brings in money...
Each time Smecker investigates a crime scene he keeps getting closer and closer until he is actually filmed standing next to them during the crime scenes. This movie is in my top 10.
There's no accounting for taste, I guess...
@@user-kj9oz7lb8s one of my favorite movies is literally titled Bad Taste.
As in they frame him with the camera closer and closer each time? If so then that’s awesome and it was so natural I didn’t even realise
@@LukenatorFTW closer and closer to solving the crimes and discovering their identity. So they shoot it in a way that he keeps becoming more involved in the scenes when he is trying to figure out what happened. I think. I heard that somewhere.
You're right about the editing, but I did find the scenes comparing the crime scene to what actually happened to be quite entertaining, instead of showing the action first, the show what the detectives are thinking, and then what actually went down.
and then do it like 3 more times. It's so overused.
There is one scene in the movie that sticks with me and it is why I love the movie so much. When the Russians come back to the brothers apartment before they take them to the alley, there is just a second where Murph is shown glancing back at Connor. In that one brief second, you see it all. The love between them, the fear of losing each other and also how dangerous they truly are.
Faye guh
THIS!
That was an incredible scene! To me, Murph was saying that he trusted his brother no matter what. I also love your perspective, OP.
Its a cult movie for everything you railed it about. It was the most unconventional movie out there. The plot made 0 sense. but somehow youve sat and watched the whole movie again for the 5th time.... Its a very well acted, and better shot Neil Breen movie.
I agree. Its just an entertaining movie with funny characters and great one liners.
It makes a bit of sense. Vigilantes on behalf of God. A bit like Daredevil except he uses religion to help him spare lives, no matter how evil they are. I watched it on TV as a child and I liked the action. I preferred Con Air as a child through.
It was a comedy movie about 2.Putts that kill the mob...lmao- something that would never happen❤
@@Cletus-Hellfire Con Air is a way better movie, I agree.
This. It's unconventional approach is what grabbed the attention.
The plot itself isn't that special if one thinks about it. The way it's played out differs it from other flicks.
The boondock saints isn’t a revolutionary film but I still can’t help but like it. It’s just mindless fun you can watch after a long day where all you want to do is relax. It’s also just kinda charming. I feel like all the actors had a fun time on set
What Boondock lacks in technical merit is overcome by passion, which is missing from many over-polished Hollywood films. I don't know how I would feel about this movie had I not lived my first 50 years in Boston. Boondocks Saints captures some of the essence of the South Boston Irish culture remarkably well.
“Culture” 😂
@@balsosnell2064 ?
@@hui975my thoughts exactly.
For every reason you dislike this movie, I found it amusing. It’s like a B-rated movie that made it through the cracks. I don’t believe it was ever meant to be taken too seriously
I really enjoyed this in college in 2010 but now I just cringe at how bad at is. I love b movies too but something feels so off about this. I’d love to know what younger people in college now feel about this.
Lock, stock and two smoking barrels was the most popular movie of the 90s in Russia, that film is just fantastic fun
That and "Snatch" are just pure entertainment
@@inframeout 100%
I probably know snatch line for line at this point and recently decided to rewatch lock stock for the first time in years and man what a rough around the edges, low budget yet highly entertaining and fantastically written gem. I'd love to see more love for it. I love showing it and Snatch to my American friends to showcase what British gangster/action movies are like.
@@RykerJones28 Could not agree more, love both films and if you look how low budget both of them are, you know they were made by a really intelligent director
Was it ever release in theaters or just on VHS/DVD?
I personally loved this film. Maybe I just have bad taste. Haha I don't know.. but I loved it then and I love it now. ❤
Amen. You should check out “Stalker” by Tarkovsky. It’s right up your southie alley.
@@HugoStiglitz88 haha thanks 😂
@codyjohnson6957 me too. loved it then, loving it now. Maybe it's a generation thing, idk. I think Willem Defoe alone makes it totally worth watching it.
Haven't seen this movie in forever but I remember finding it kind of charming for almost all of the negatives pointed out in this video. I took it as more of an action comedy. I remember laughing a lot during this movie, so it's kind of a guilty pleasure I guess.
As someone that grew up in Boston. This movie has a special little place in my heart. Oxymoron was life. The scene with the cat is hilarious
“Is it dead?”
I swear Boston has more lead in the water than Flint. Imagine having this piece of schlock as a cultural and regional touchstone. Boston was a mistake.
@@Swoooo "I can't believe that just fucking happened!"
The cat scene is great and the I ain’t getting no bagel
Personally I love this movie even tho it’s a shitshow with a lot of repetition and boring plot I love the chemistry between the actors they all seem like they enjoyed being around eachother having fun messin around with all the stupid jokes
I mean come on... Yes I love Boondock Saints both 1st and the 2nd.. But comparing the first movie to the Matrix... You're are literally comparing something that has a budget of 6M$ vs god damn 63M$
That’s so true
"My name is Luke Cooper. I love cinema. My favorite movies are Citizen Kane and The Boondock Saints."
My favorite movies are Stalker and Cool Runnings.
Ha, Office reference
Just finished watching it after hearing of its cult status. I personally kept getting the sense that it was really reaching for that "cool" factor in cinema, what with the stylish dress and gun fights, but I can't help but feel that it came across as seriously forced at times. Obviously the whole movie wasn't terrible but I just couldn't shake that feeling of trying too hard to be cool that it just falls semi flat.
List of movies from 6:39:
Badlands (Terrence Malick)
Blood Simple (The Coen Brothers)
Bound (The Wachowskis)
Brick (Rian Johnson)
Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly)
El Mariachi (Robert Rodriguez)
Get Out (Jordan Peele)
Hard Eight (Paul Thomas Anderson)
Hunger (Steve McQueen)
Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels (Guy Ritchie)
Monsters (Gareth Edwards)
Moon (Duncan Jones)
Near Dark (Kathryn Bigelow)
Pi (Darren Aronofsky)
Primer (Shane Carruth)
Pusher (Nicolas Winding Refn)
Ratcatcher (Lynne Ramsay)
Raw (Julia Ducournau)
Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino)
Saw (James Wan)
The Farewell (Lulu Wang)
There was a firefight.
"What if it was just one guy with six guns?"
It's just pure unabashed fun. If you don't like the humor, which the reviewer clearly does not, it's not for you. It has so many scenes us fans can watch over and over.
This video illustrates most issues with “video essay” type videos. Most of your issues are entirely based on personal preference but you’re presenting them as factual. Implying that only idiots would like this movie, a character saying racist or homophobic things does not mean people who like the movie or made the movie are bigoted. This is a good video but I think you should reconsider how you structure your arguments
I totally respect that you're a fan - and thank you for being civil and reasonable. I genuinely appreciate it.
Most of this is naturally based in opinion (such is the nature of media literacy and film criticism). At no point do I say anyone who likes this film is a bigot. I merely highlight how the racism and homophobia informed the writing (given that it's written by someone who proudly makes prejudicial, hateful statements and doesn't try to hide his troubling beliefs) and how it doesn't actually add anything to the characters or narrative, functionally or texturally.
Also - there is technical, researched and experiential reasoning behind my criticism of the outright blatant editing mistakes, screenplay formatting, structural inconsistency etc (which have nothing to do with my personal distaste for the films on a personal level).
Again - I meant no offense to you or anyone who digs these films, and thanks for giving a differing opinion a fair and reasoned shake
@@inframeout Well I certainly respect your opinion and Troy Duffy is an asshole. I think we can all agree on that
Found the avid saints supporter
@@essai_ it’s just a movie man
@@gabrieljewett4042 ur the one who put up a yap fest, not me 😭
Will I watch these every March when plutoTv streams them incessantly? Yes.
It’s still my favorite movie ever I don’t care what any of you say it’s the best movie ever made didn’t like all saints day but the first is the best
The first is better for sure, but the second one grew on me. I appreciate it for what it tried to accomplish.
Its quite objectively NOT the BEST movie ever made. Its, at best, an attempt to make stylish rubbish.
The first one will always reign Supreme, but. All santa day had julie Bends. Lol. The Romeo character is funny as hell
@@seanmcdonald5859incorrect it is the best film of all time and at best an attempt and success at creating a masterpiece
Frankly I love the movie! I understand the point this video is making. Yet, maybe it’s just 90’s nostalgia. I still dig the movie.
Don't know if this is the right place to ask, but I would adore to hear your technical analysis of Equilibrium.
I've been thinking of going back to "Equilibrium" for a while now - and you've just reminded me to grab it on blu-ray!
Having just watched this knowing nothing, this movie was just entertaining at its core, which is why I think it has the success it does. The humor comes from the tone juxtaposition, clearly taking itself too seriously, and the fact it is a movie you wouldn’t see made today at all. That last part speaks more today than a lot of people are going to admit. I don’t think it ever was trying to be anything more than that (as in, not one of the legendaries that came before), yet it became a cult classic because it didn’t care. And that alone was entertaining to look past the clear as day, poor plot and dialogue. Sharknado has a similar perception.
This film doesn’t change being worse than a lot of other movies that did it better, but it’s made much more an impression of being fun to watch than a lot of the sanitized and uninspired trash media from the last 10 years.
I've never been a fan of The Boondock Saints and never did see the appeal, but it is unquestionable that it has an audience and fans. Personally, I just found it boring and the onslaught of f-bombs was a complete overkill.
I did find Overnight a much more interesting viewing experience which explained a lot of what ends up in Boondock Saints. But, to be fair, the people that made the documentary were aiming to make as much damage as possible to Duffy and it shows in the end product.
For all its flaws and problems I'll say something positive about the film: Dafoe just goes for it and, despite its problems, still delivers and entertaining performance.
Great video!
Even if it a it's character hit piece i find it hard to believe that Duffy would even get far if the documentary was released. The dudes big mouth is what killed his career. Lucky for him he gets a third chance.
Sean from Cinematic excrement did a good look at ASD in a early review with the first half about Troy who got handed almost everything and acted like a fucking spoiled child the whole way through, just outright gross human being
"Looked dated even for the time". Honestly, that might be a "stumbled bassackwards into genius" attribute. I was squarely who they were aiming for (and got) with this movie when it came out. With the style and virtually no promotion or theatrical release, I genuinely thought at the time it was a mid 90's action movie that I had missed, and that's a big part of it's appeal. The behind the scenes issues, but their ability to get someone like Dafoe, made it *feel* that way; they accidentally found a new formula for an instant classic appeal.
It's good because it's bad. If it wasnt rough around the edges.. I don't know. The shootouts are chaos, that's true to reality. When you beat a loaded handgun on the table, people can die. The characters displayed urgency and despair quite well so...
I, on the other hand could ask why gun-Ballett a la John wick is so beloved now. It's bullshit, it is pure optics... Nothing conveys that there are people being killed.
The way of the gun was so tense in this regard....
@@AllisterCaine There's an interesting take. I liked the first JW because it was frantic, and I felt the setting (revenge of a mythically skilled and seasoned assassin - as opposed to BDS's out-of-depth vigilantes) justified the intricate gunplay.
And then the sequels introduced all sorts of body armor for the goons so that John can look better as he grapples with them and shoots repeatedly down. That I did not like. If you're trying to sell a film based on the quality of its action scenes, the worst thing to do is to pull out every excuse possible to prolong said scenes.
Yet the movie will never die.
Filmmaking and screen/script do make this movie a unique classic; I would contrast it to Cloverfield where go-pro shaky cam filmmaking and screen/script don't make for a good movie, I think Cloverfield is trash but that's my taste nothing more.
In comparison, though, to Cloverfield, Boondock Saints could be an equivalent to Go-Pro vigilantism with a lot of MTv "Real World" vibes through & through e.g. improv and unrefined dialogue, off the cuff, normies turned famous.
I like Boondock Saints as a film, script, story, etc. because of how relatable and approachable it causes the plot and characters to appear. All the rudeness, the jokes, the confusion & sloppiness make for a touch more reality into the viewer's world, rather than a greater suspension of disbelief therefore entering a less relatable story world.
Intention of director duffy or not, it isn't a quality & refined film and that's why I see it Still Abides.
All fair and totally valid
Thank you. Differences in opinion are good for many reasons; I liked your presentation and really understand your point in saying (gist of course) "if you submitted this script in film school, you'd flunk". It stands out in a glaring fashion that two big camps have arisen, but neither camp is wrong, merely holds differences in taste.
Have a good day and keep on releasing content 😎
16:04 I first saw the boondock saints when i was in high school at a time when i had a very admittedly dude-bro mentality and saw saw film much less critically and more just for the entertainment value. The boondock saints became one of my favorite movies for all the reasons you mentioned earlier but the thing that attracted me the most to Boondock saints was the display of brotherhood between the Mcmanus brothers that resonated with me as i have brothers i also feel very strongly about . What im saying is i think the thing that draws people to this film is that it acts like a dude-bro rorschach test with a wide spectrum of themes meant to appeal to a very specific type of people that will find whatever it is they are looking for in the film. Seeing scenes from it now i have to admit that the film did not age well lol.
Bashir: but does every scene really need to matter?
Garak: my dear doctor every scene needs to matter
Bashir even the ones that don't?
Garak: especially the ones that dont
My favorite Cardassian.
My poor high school had few treasures to offer its students, but one such privilege was our little film class. Not every school had a film class in our city, in fact most didn’t, so I was grateful to have something in my curriculum that I was fascinated by for four years other than literature and history. Over the years I’m glad to say I learned quite a lot from my teachers and peers there.
However..
This film was almost REQUIRED viewing material for us. The teacher and assistant as well as many of the students had all seen and worshipped the film, placing it on a mantle alongside 90’s hits like Pulp Fiction and Fight Club. I went into the film expecting something great and came out… underwhelmed, yet I forced myself to focus on the aspects I enjoyed because, well, it was supposed to be amazing and I didn’t want to come across as the idiot who “didn’t” get the film. But in the. Ack of my head, I regretted not saying how I felt. This would occur a few times over my educational journey there, and with each overhyped film that didn’t connect with me, I found myself feeling as though I was missing something fundamental.
Needless to say, twenty years later and that’s not the case anymore. Quite the opposite in fact.
Fantastic video on an unfortunately rare take. Your research and editing are always top notch.
It honestly feels that this whole mess of a franchise is what a Tarantino movie would look like if the only movie or show he'd ever watched was the second half of deathwish, and the first half of deathwish 3, not even those entire movies, just half of them.
Yep, when I was 14 my favorite movies were taxi driver, pulp fiction, clockwork orange, romper stomper, and yup. I could not discern a difference in cinematic quality between these films, they were just Punk Rock. To be clear I was never a Right-winger and even then I knew I politically disagreed with these films, but I had never encountered a film that was "socially challenging" (which I very much wanted to do) from a Leftist perspective. Also, like Donnie Darko, this was a film I first discovered from a second hand VHS copy that I presumed nobody but my friends and I knew about, and it must be very cool.
Smecker is FBI, not a detective.
do you hate troy duffy more because of the movie or do you hate the movie more because of troy duffy?
I don't hate the movie but man do I hate the fanbase. It's just a Boston version of Desperado but the fans piss their pants over this film like it's the second coming of Christ.
Some of the more toxic elements of the fanbase are truly unbelievable in their commitment to violently defending a trash genre movie made by one of the biggest jerks to ever come out of Boston
im a bds fan but this is literally the funniest sentence ive ever read AND its accurate
too much racism and homophobia? cmon mate its 1999 everyday movie goers barely gave a shit about those topics back then just look at the video games and tv shows that came out around that timeframe they all contain both of it not on the same amount of this movie and it managed to be successful, you got a good analysis this is a edgy movie and I get why it cant be for everyone and doesn't make a drop of sense fitting into the world of today and is frowned upon by ppl today looking back on it
As someone who was very much alive and aware at the time it came out, just about every single critic and film theorist at the time also condemned Duffy's disgusting attitudes...and that's before the documentary that outright confirmed it wasn't creative license or artistic expression, but just a particularly horrible man expressing his bigotry
Homophobia? One of the lead characters is gay 😂
For me its not the movie as a whole that I love. It's a lot of parts in the movie that I love.
The best you can say is that it gave us "Overnight," which I used to recommend in film class to all aspiring directors as a "what not to do"
Or any human being on "How not to be a bigoted, egomaniacal jerk who in no way has the talent or skill to have such a high opinion of themselves"
This. But I would also say it gave us the ability to identify people who are under 90 IQ and probably have low impulse control. Furthermore, it gave fathers a way to screen out undesirable suitors (in case the flat brim hat and cursing at the dinner table wasn’t enough of a give away). Normally the problem with a scarlet letter is that people can and will hide it, but not fans of Boondock Saints. They will proudly announce the fact that they’re profoundly unintelligent. Just look at this comment section.
You guys are all nuts, this movie is badass.
Please go into detail about why you think it's great.
@@itswrongtokillanimalsifyou2837 Don't get me wrong, I know it's no pulp fiction and it definitely has it's flaws, but it works really well as a B grade action/crime movie. It's enjoyable.
@@jedlawson3494 Fair enough. I'm happy for those who can look past poor quality execution and enjoy whatever's left. It certainly leaves more movies to watch.
My. Dude. THIS MOVIE IS FIRE:D
I thought the racist joke wasn't pointless. I thought that it was the reason the boss decided to send in Rocco to kill those guys. I asked Troy Duffy about it, he said he hadn't really thought about it. So maybe I saw a point in it where there there really wasn't one
The point of the joke... you guys went out of your way to hate on it... when in fact it's the most character develope scene in the whole movie. It shows you the life and identity of Rocco. The joke is bad, he knows it. He is telling a joke to save his life from awful people. So he tells an awful joke, in defeat, to survive the gangster world he is currently trapped in.
This is exactly it. The opening scene establishes very little regarding the titular characters relationships, and paints Rocco as an obvious outlier, being the only member of the mob present. Sure, he's jovial in all of his scenes, but we have no frame of reference for whether these are old pals, or people who just wanted to celebrate. Then, the Russians arrive, establishing a definitive line of "mob bad, people outside of it good". Even though Rocco is on the defensive, that could easily be interpreted as interpersonal conflict between the different orgs, and less about being personally affronted on behalf of his friend. By the end of that scene, we're left not knowing whether Rocco is truly an "everyman" like the rest, or a mafia thug who just happened to be there.
It's well said in the hotel that the boys didn't have a plan, and Rocco takes the reigns to orchestrate the second half of the story, but we wouldn't understand his motivation without the scene with the joke. You could argue that he had a rapid change of allegiance when he realized he was being set up, but that route would have just been to move the story along, and relegate Rocco to merely a lazy, 1 dimentiomal plot device.
We need the joke scene because we need to see Rocco in that environment, juxtaposed to the bar, and see his unease and reluctance so that we can trust and sympathize with him as being on the "good" side, and not a pawn. I would say it's as important of a scene to establish character as the one with Smecker in the confessional.
@@emilyvine6718 Thank you! It's always very hard to explain why characterization scenes are important to people who don't get why.
This movie is a cult classic , i don’t care what anyone saids . It will never be Disney star wars bad . Is it perfect ? no but its a product of the time and many people i know love it
When I was entering to my teenage years me and my already teenager brother used to watch this movie on a loop. We just loved it, we waited for it on tv, we looked for it on internet. But one day we just grew up and very recently we have the opportunity to watch this movie again after many years without seeing it. We thought that was the most depressing thing in the world to do because this movie is just pathethic, and we used to like this kind of shitty violent things but we found out the truth about it. I wish I had not watched and just keep thinking about the movie as a representation of good old times when you do not know much about movies or basically about nothing. What a crap. The worst thing is that I have never seen such a good video essay about how bad is this, until now of course, merci.
I remember watching this for the first time in high school after being asked multiple times if I had seen it. I didn't really have a critical opinion at the time. Except for those terrible Irish accents. Not having watched it for almost 20 years until this past weekend the accents still make me cringe and this was the first time I watched it with captions on because I had a hard time hearing what the actors were shouting to each other. The fade to black transitions don't help the movie telling a linear story. I think the only saving grace this movie has is Willem Dafoe's exentric performance as Smecker.
But I do get this that movie was made for pure entertainment and not giving a flying fuck about how you should make a movie. Boondock Saints is just one of these shoot em up stylized violent films that we keep seeing come out in the last 25 years and very few of them receive a cult following.
Now I have only seen the second installment once, I'm a bit curious to see how the third one turns out.
literally everything you said can be said for Matrix... William Dafoe's character actually was probably the best thing for gay people for a majority of guys to see... it gave "macho guys" who hated gay people a reason to see someone, who even though he was gay, for the most part acted the same way they would. I don't remember any other gay characters (other than Cheers) in any other shows or movies that were portrayed as anything other than flamboyant over the top gay men.
It's not that great, but also, not that bad. I enjoyed it when I saw it many years ago except for the fact that I can't stand Willem Defoe. He gives me the full-body heaby-jeavies. Love Billy Connelly, though, so it almost balances out.
99% of the people who saw this movie and enjoyed it (or not) don't give a flying fig about camera angles, lighting, fades, etc. and wouldn't recognize the difference from one kind to the next.
The boondock saints is my favorite movie of all time. Namely because of how they show the aftermath of a scene first, then go back and show how it all played out.
But really, the premise of killing the evil and wicked is good too
how is the premise any different from the punisher or something like deathwish?
My biggest issue with it is just how pleased with itself it feels. It feels like it's trying to be an "elevated" version of a gnarly 90s action film (the sort of thing I have a major soft spot for), only without any creative novelty or thematic depth to justify it. I actually like stylistically masturbatory stuff when it's being done by someone who's actually doing something creative and interesting with the form but Troy Duffy never does.
With that said, I will say that Willem Dafoe is great in everything without exception.
I'm also an enormous fan of absolute trash action, but "Broken Arrow" this ain't
Boondock Saints is like a bad movie devoured a great idea and it's desperately trying to claw its way out.
His racist joke & killing the cat accidentally were funny! So I actually enjoyed those things u hated
Love this movie it is not perfect by any means but not bad as some others claim either. The only people I see that have a problem with this movie is mostly over context from cry baby liberals who can’t tell the difference from reality and fiction
By that logic, the only people who like it are right wing bigots? Which isn't remotely true - but it goes to show that generalisations don't really work when you consider I criticize the technical, narrative and editorial failures of the film extensively but you main takeaway is "Liberals bad"
You’re right it is pretty bad, but Duffy made it a success with his ego, also the second. Nuff said. Can you whiners do that?
I can never listen to too many well-informed critics outline all the ways this movie blows. It’s been boggling my mind since seeing enough of my friends with Saints hoodies finally made me watch it. I wondered WTF am I missing - it’s not me. It’s definitely not me.
No, it's you.
Yeah it’s you.
The only good part of the second movie (to me at least) was Il Duce (Billy Connoly’s character) and his backstory. I was kinda annoyed that they didn’t make an entire movie based on him - and I actually liked the first movie
I genuinely really liked his backstory
The real kicker? Troy Duffy was putting on an act this whole time, as he's actually some rich kid from Connecticut.
That doesn't suprise me whatsoever
I remember being told about this movie by one of my more maniacal friends while a large group of us was waiting in a theater to watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding. if that's not a more early 2000's way to find out about a film, I don't know what is. So I go purchase a copy of it at Best Buy because I'm a budding film geek and I'm a sucker for anything indie and edge lord. At the time I thought it was pretty great, but at the same time the rampant racism and sexism that was played for laughs didn't really work. The giant action scene at the end that was just cut out made me feel disappointed. but i thought Willem Dafoe was awesome. That's probably what most will say, in fact. Willem Dafoe makes everything better. 18yrs later? I agree with all of your points except the stuff about #2. I fell asleep shortly after the character played by Clifton Collins Jr was introduced. Seriously, how does Troy Duffy get great character actors to do this tripe?
S&M Billy Connolly -
Maybe I should watch this film.
I do disagree with what you said about Boondock 2 being "excruciatingly bad".
That's putting it far too mildly.
It's vastly worse than that.
I watched it when I was a teenager and found the action fun. I think I will not watch it again.
I can absolutely see that. Watching it now - there's almost no action in it, and what there is looks like it was shot by a blind goose holding a camera in its beak
@@inframeout Yeah I saw that now in the video. It is actually pretty ugly. Also I just remembered I found Willem Dafoe just plain cool in that "there was a firefight" scene.
Oh and one actual point for the movie "The Blood of Cu Chulainn" is a great song. :)
I watched it as a teen because my dad showed me it and my dad being a proud Irish Canadian and Catholic, we bonded over it and it became my favourite movie for a while. Honestly though, looking back on it nowadays, the best part is still Willem Dafoe and the rest is um, not the best.
When I saw this movie in like 2006 or so, I thought its popularity was akin to the popularity of The Room or Plan 9. Then I found out people legitimately like this movie, and I felt terrible about the current state of humanity.
I saw it for the first time last night and was astonished this was ever considered a cult classic. Pure and utter tripe, and highly offensive to any demographic. The only thing that stopped me from turning off was how high I was
I rarely comment but I had to say this. I started dating a girl years ago and it was pretty good. Then her and her friends put on some of their favorite movies and put this on. The movie was so bad I completely forgot what I saw in her. Also I have Irish family from the east coast, so I felt even more violated. Great video by you.
Really like this one when i was 10 but i rewatch it a few months back and damn it doesn't hold at all
I saw this movie for the first time as a kid and for a while was obsessed with it. Although I haven't seen it in a long while, even in hindsight I can identify a lot of the bad writing and aesthetic choices.
I've been tempted to go back to it lately, fully prepared to see it for what it is, but also can see myself still enjoying the wanton violence.
Probably the worst thing the director could've done was kill off Rocco Like dude, he may have been a secondary protagonist, but he was easily the STAR of the movie. And it really shows considering even the most hardcore fans didn't really like the sequel. Makes you wonder what could have been
Yeah the sequel was...interesting...freaking love Rocco so I was excited to see him but yeah was very strange.
@@finmiles965 wouldn't it be awesome if rocco somehow came back in the third movie? Maybe have him as a ghost that can possess others?
Ive been saying this...
I like this movie, and didn't understand or agree with anything you are talking about.
Totally fair
Smecker made this whole movie for me.
I wouldn't go so far as to say it's "terrible", but I definitely think that it is excessively overrated... I mean, considering the fact that it was Duffy's first film and that he both wrote and directed it, it's certainly an impressive feat, especially considering the massive cult following it's managed to gain over the years. As to the comments surrounding Duffy's character and demeanor, I can't really speak to that with any degree of honest credibility. I've met him myself on a few different occasions, and he was always nothing but courteous, kind, and polite every time and a true pleasure to speak with and spend time with. He actually remembered my name and certain details about me personally and our previous interaction(s) after meeting him the first time, so I've always found that to be impressive all things considered. I should also mention that of the multiple interactions I've had with him over the years, only two of them were like structured brief "meet and greet" type situations at conventions where he's likely to be on his best behavior, so to speak. The rest of our run-ins occured a bit more organically outside of such a structured environment. I definitely wasn't just sitting there jerking off his ego either, that's just not my style.
Anyway, I feel like a lot of the complaints about the examples of 'racism' and 'homophobia' are a bit nitpicky and mostly irrelevant. The time and environment being depicted would involve these types of things, and it was intended to add to the dirty, gritty, less sanitized picture he was trying to convey. I'll agree that a lot of it is a bit gratuitous in many ways and that the story could have just as well done without any of it, but I do understand why it was included nonetheless as well as why it may detract from the films in the context of a modern 2022 lens for a lot of people. Hindsight tends to have that kind of effect on people, so I don't even necessarily feel that your complaints in this area are unwarranted either.
This is my favorite video of yours. Always come back to it.
Norman Reedus tho!
Hey, I love Norman Reedus as much as anyone and I always will. He gets a pass.
The first time I watched Boondock Saints it’s saving grace was Willem Dafoe’s character for me. He really worked his ass off scrutinizing his character for nuance and humour, and his delivery got quite a few laughs from me even with the insipid dialogue, he was clearly having fun with it. But rewatching it a few months ago I fell asleep halfway through, it was Tedious and chocked full of fumbling machismo and graceless juvenility
Willem Dafoe is clearly trying to find depth to a character who is written with such crass, amateurish broadness
@@inframeout I would not be surprised if Dafoe took the role as a sort of "challenge accepted" move.
Well, there are many movies which were good at their release but don’t stand the test of time.
I enjoyed it at the time.
Not every movie is trying to win an Acedemy Award, my guy. Some movies merely succeed at being entertaining, unique, straightforward, and unpretentious.
I loved this movie when no one knew about it. Then I saw a guy with the prayer tattooed on his back and it lost it's shine for me. Never watched the 2nd one, never will.
This movie is absolutely awesome....
I remember thinking it was cool when it came out, mostly thanks to Willem Dafoe's charisma, but you are absolutely right about everything.
I also thought the same
Lol claim a cult favorite is bad for attention and views. Desperate but clever.
I hardly think I'm the only person who thinks it's bad - look up just about any actual review from when it was released. It's cool you like it, and some folks don't and that's also fine
Yeah, Part 2 was an enormous letdown. The original is my second favorite film after "Excalibur" in the early 80s.
For reasons I hope to make clear, I am surprised at how dearly I treasure this critique. Your take on this film, from logistics to legacy is thunderous, thoughtful, thorough, and I suspect (as you likely predicted for years), practically thankless. I'm quite impressed at your declaration that the sequel is in fact the better of the two, as I personally watched it once and refuse to do so ever again. I saw Overnight years ago, and it was a revelation. Troy Duffy could die eating an entire bag of radioactive xenomorph shit and I wouldn't give a single, serious, silky fuck because nothing of value would be lost.
I wish to further accentuate my praise for the quality of this critique by emphasizing that said kudos are from someone who still likes the initial offering, despite having grown to recognize its myriad failures and flaws. Fuck's sake, I still rock the P (Coat).
Subbed.
The acting in the Il Duce flashback was God awful
It's crazy that no matter how much a person studies... talent, art, consideration, ect can't be taught.... This causes uncontrollable animosity... Guess unqualified mentality only comes from simps and hierarchy. Point made? Let creative freedom live... The biggest point was made in the beginning. The indifference in good men. The rest is real culture speech and depth of character. Angles and whatever camera work was little to do with good points.
Loved the movie when it first came out, there was so much clumsy shit with the gunfighting it seemed more realistic due to the lack of stylization. I was in high school. Didn't rewatch it before seeing the sequel, which IMO was unwatchable. Last year a friend of mine said they'd never seen it so we put it on. I cannot believe how insanely problematic this movie is, like man I cringed for 90 minutes straight. Homophobic jokes, transphobic jokes, racist jokes, sexual assault jokes, domestic violence jokes, none of them funny, none of them ironic. This movie can die in a fire.
The series "Beloved Comedy Relief" character Rocco is a pathologically racist homophobe who gropes an unconscious woman's bare breasts...god I hate this film so much
I think that this is a case of the movie is perfectly fine. its just not for you! its not meant to be a AAA movie. it is however fun and entertaining for most who watch it. hence its popularity! LAWYERED! 😜🤪😝
Absolutely fair enough
I love this movie, but will never diss someone who doesn't. That being said, I think everyone can agree that the second movie was terrible/even worse.
I agree with half of what you said in a filmmaking standpoint the movie is extremely weak with blackouts and 360's and stuff. But I love the every other things about it that you think is a negative. Racial slurs, of course these guys are not twitch streamers these are mobsters and drug dealers and shit. They don't care about political correctness. Shooting the cats by accident when you're drunk sexual assaults homophobia are all present in real life. And the think I hate the most about a film is when a uneducated lowlife drug dealer speaks like a collage professor. Movie is by no means pretty. It could be a masterpiece if someone more capable was to make it. But after all the points you were correct I still don't think this movie deserve this much criticism. This is a good movie. By no means for good writing or filming, it is good by sheer luck and chain of coincidences. And that bugs the people appreciating the technical side of the filmmaking. I watched it 30 times when I was young, I'm 31 now still watching it occasionally and still enjoying it.
I've seen enough crime films without racial slurs to think they are an unnecessary and controversial distraction from the plot, and off-putting to ethnic viewers affected by the slurs. Your realism excuse doesn't work because it's a fictional movie series depicting a vigilante duo killing off organized crime families, which in real life number from 3000 Mafiosi to 100,000 Yakuza. They only shoot a handful of gangsters in every fight scene. I can't see two brothers and their ex-con dad wiping out a drug cartel, which is a mercenary army in ballistic armor, with improvised narco-tanks!
Sometimes you just need to lighten up and enjoy a fun film instead of over-thinking it.
That's the thing - I don't find these movies even remotely fun. They're also staggeringly racist and homophobic - but on top of that, they're extremely boring
As I'm sure I would fall asleep in front of many of the movies you seem to dig. Oh well, to each his/her own.
@@margaretchayka6878 so the russian mafia...instead of killing the two blokes...drags one to just the right spot where the other bloke somehow carries a toilet and drops it on the thugs head (somehow not smashing his head to pieces) then the guy survives a 5 story fall with no injuries...how is that kind of inane stuff enjoyable???
@@margaretchayka6878 also the unlikeable "protagonists" the obvious attempt to emulate Tarantino, the bad acting, the bad script...you liked this really???
This is a fun movie?
Saw this movie when I was 9 thought it was cool, grew up and saw it as a mess, but that redundancy of the crime scenes grew on me, reminds me of study in scarlet, smecker is unrealistic as Holmes but he gathers all his facts before making an assumption and I know it might make me juvenile but the scene when they kill that hitman I liked the superimposed smecker solving and the scene happening around him. I mean this movie is 90s Boston guy dialog written by a Boston guy it's brash it makes people uncomfortable and everyone in the scenes sees all the racism and homophobia as normal as it would have been to cops and blu collar guys. In it's time and place we all liked this and movies like the crow none of them are great but I still unknowingly quote these movies and even rewatched it after watching this critique of it and like all movies glad people still watch it and it's relevant. I also want to say overnight is worth watching too knowing how fucked up Hollywood is and the people Duffy was at odds with it's left me with a lot of questions. It's also just amazing that this dude got a movie deal and got it made with William Defoe and Billy Connolly, everything about this movie being made interests me I'd love to have been there to see this or Bourne identity made despite the chaos of the director and production problems.
You should do a video on the brandon lee crow movie and how that one was bad, this movie was at least fun to watch
It’s a good movie, not amazing but definitely not bad. It’s pretty impressive for a director to come out of nowhere and direct a movie of this caliber. However, Troy Duffy is such an egomaniac who pretty much blackballed himself from Hollywood.
As someone who grew up in Southie, Southie is nothing like Boondock Saints, Southie is the asshole maker of Boondock saints. It is different now but then it was very much a town of racist drunken violence and spite couched in self importance. Watching it originally I loved it thinking it was an ironic takedown of the 80s genre when I found it was what it was what it was on the surface I despised it. When I saw the sequel I hated the original more.
I’ve been saying this movie is terrible since I saw it for the first time 14 years ago. Absolutely hate it and hate it even more every time I’m forced to watch it
It is a film that I have now watched multiple times for research, read every positive review I could find and tried my absolute best to find something good about it and I...just...can't.
From the cinematography to the editing, from the writing to the performances, from the direction to the lighting - it is all absolute rubbish
I loved it when I first saw it, as I hear other opinions I seem to like it less and less. It was one of the movies that got me into cinema as a teenager in the first place though, so it's always going to have a special place in my heart. I do have better taste now I hope, I continue to watch better films as time goes by
It's my favorite comedy.
I will still call it a great movie. It is entertaining, and thats what a movie is supposed to be, if its an action movie.
As a new Englander and Bostonian I adore this movie
I liked it. But then again I might have been the target demographic when I watched it. A 12 year old edgy kid.
You spent about 15 minutes saying, "Everyone else is wrong and I'm right"
Uh, it's critically despised and was a massive flop when it initially released so I hardly think I'm the only one
The first boondock saints movie was lightning in a bottle. Easily one of the greatest action crime films of all time. The second movie was a caricature of the first film 😢
Even if I agreed with you on every point you made (I don’t at all) …. Eunice Bloom was the sexiest cop EVER to be put on film. She made it all worth while. DAYUM!!!
In library ☑
Now I know what I'm watching today to see what you mean