So the year was 2002. I was a freshmen in college. My new friends kept on talking about this movie...The Boondock Saints. I just 'had' to see it. Irish guys, go on killing spree, but only against bad guys...or something. So I watched it.
Everything in my head said it was a bad movie. Complete cheese for action sequences. Poor acting, for the most part (sans consummate professionals Willam DeFoe and Billy Connely). Unbelievable script..not in it's quality..but in the fact that you simply don't believe it.
But I don't know...something about it just made me happy. I loved that movie. Loved the religious undertones...loved the setting (Boston working class), loved to see the bad guys lose and the good guys win.
One thing I loved most of all...was the concept of an Irish Ninja. I brought the phrase to my friends, but I'm sure someone thought of it before me. Its simply too catchy, too appropriate. Irish Ninja. I've seen a lot of things be called Irish when they shouldn't be. Bushmills whiskey for one. Irish Nachos (delicious, but honestly, kind of offensive.). This was different. I'm Irish (with some scraps of German and I am not kidding..gypsy)..and I'm proud of it. I've always taken a kind of resiliency from it. My people didn't build the coliseum (although while enslaved I'm sure they built a lot of roman things). My people aren't rich people. We're not influential. We've got the Kennedys. We're historically poor and unorganized. Violent even. But one thing we've got is pride. And to have our own ninjas...wow. So cool.
So I heard rumors over the years. There is going to a Boondocks sequel. I never believed them. One, I'd heard about the documentary about Troy Duffy. Heard he went bat (crap) insane after the initial BoonSaints became a cult favorite. Heard he was an egomaniac. I thought there was no way a studio was going to allow him to make a movie the right way. I also didn't believe it would happen because I hoped it wouldn't. The first movie held such a perfect place in my heart..I didn't want it ruined. It would be like if you had a beautiful caring devoted girlfriend in seventh grade...then she had to move away..but 15 years later you two caught up, and she'd gotten fat and stupid. It would ruin that one perfect time you had together.
Well in many ways I was right. In some ways I was wrong.
In The Boondock Saints: All Saints Day...Troy Duffy does a lot of things wrong. He tries to make basically two movies in one. He tries to do it completely half arsed. The brothers MacManus are all puffy now, and at times comical, when it is not intended. It's overly nostalgic. It is massive, but unrefined. The action is completely ridiculous in every sense of the word.
But there is a reason to watch this movie. For one, it will remind you wiEdited. Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline.lly of the first, but not bludgeon the memory to death. It's like seeing an old college friend who settled down with kids and doesn't like to drink Jager anymore. At first you're like "this isn't who I remember"..but then, after hanging out for a while you see the same guy again, and realize he didn't change so much as..mature. And really, you matured too. It's like that with this movie.
No I don't think just anyone should watch it. If people ask me about it I will ask two questions, both must be answered "yes" before I sign off on a recommendation. 1) Did you watch the first movie? 2) Did you love it?
If both those two things are true, check it out. It will be disappointing, because it's not as sharp..or as hungry...or as determined as the first movie was. But it's still your old buddies Connor and Murphy, kickin butt and crackin jokes. I will probably never watch it again, but I'm not sad that I watched it once.
I'm also not sad that like the first Boondock Saints, I watched it for free.