The Movie “ The Boondocks Saints” is nothing short of a guilty pleasure. With its profane nature and crude sense of dull humor, the brilliant film is an example of the style over substance at its finest. This two member Irish Catholic gangster movie is enraged and full of action, that will sure grab anyone’s attention. The Boondocks Saints is a movie about, religion, family, And vigilante justice. The two Irish brothers Conner and Murphy McManus attend mass at a catholic church, where the priest speaks on the fate of Kitty Genovese. Later, while the brothers are celebrating St.
Patrick’s day with friends, they get into a brawl with three Russian mobsters who intends to close the pub and take over the land that it’s built on. The brothers try to reason with the Russians, but they respond in violence. The next morning, the two Russians seek revenge on the brothers. In a brutal fight they kill the Russian mobsters in a act of self-defense. Feeling that it’s god will to rid the earth from all human evil, the brothers set out to do their divine deed. In the opening scene the brothers Conner and Murphy attend mass at a Catholic church .
The priest beings to speak on the fate of Kitty Genovese. The poor soul was murdered in broad daylight and no one would help her. As the two listen , they both go into saying the family prayer. When they leave their aisle they approach the altar, bow on there knees and pray once again and kiss the statue of Jesus. The priest continues to speak, and the brothers exit the church. The opening scene displays a few ways of religion for the fact the Irish brothers attending the mass service. The scene also shows their belief of religion ,as the brothers say their family prayer, which they truly believe in.
They Eventually go to the altar as the priest speaks, and bow to their knees, kissing the statue of Jesus showing respect to the church and there heavenly father. This part of the scene I believe shows the biggest sign of religion. When agent Smecker shows up to another crime scene in disbelief. He is clueless on who it is and how they are getting away with these murders, That is until he finds the finger of Rocco that was shot off in the crossfire between him and the brothers and Il Duce. Later Smecker goes into the gay bar and has too many drinks.
Exiting the bar drunk, Rocco sees him walking the street headed into a catholic church. Smecker finds himself passed out in a confessional box in the church. The priest ask what brings him here. Smecker has never confessed , but today was different. Knowing who Smecker was and what he did would be considered a sin. I feel even him finding himself inside the catholic church shows religion in its own way. He was clueless about the murders, and was seeking answers from a higher power because things weren’t adding up.
Smecker being in the confessional box showed he held on to some belief. Then finally confessing to top it all off, shows that he did have some belief or at least found some. When the two Russian gangster seek revenge, they find the brothers Conner and Murphy at their house They bust in with guns and loaded handcuff Conner to the toilet, then took Murphy into the alley to kill him. Conner seeing them drag his brother out the room, begins to cry with anger and rip the toilet from out the floor, bleeding heavyly from the handcuffs.
Looking out the window seeing his brother and the Russians, he drops the toilet on one of the Russians and jumps out the window on the other. Conner saves his brother, and they kill the Russian gangsters. This scene shows a deep display of family love and loyalty. Knowing what the Russians would do to Murphy, Conner would risk his own life to save his brother. With extreme bleeding from the cuts on his wrist and jumping from a three story apartment building , shows the brotherly love they both have for each other.
That is a deep display that family comes first. Later on, the brothers and Rocco infiltrate the Yakavetta headquarters, to finish off the family. Not knowing it was a set up, the brothers are captured. Knowing that Rocco wouldn’t talk Yakavetta also known as “ Papa Joe” shoots and kills Rocco. As Papa leaves the house, the brothers have managed to escape and kill Papa Joe men. As the brothers mourn Rocco death and say their family prayer over Rocco, Il duce enters the room prepared to open fire, however , its revealed that Il Duce is the brothers father Noah.
Their father finishes the family prayer and decide to join his sons in their calling to destroy all evil. This scene displays a few ways key acts of family. From when Rocco was killed, the brothers looked at him as a best friend that shared the same beliefs they did. But as you watch the movie and the way they mourn his death you could tell he became apart of the family to the brothers. I think the biggest display of family is where the brothers are saying the family prayer over Rocco’s body and Il Duce who turns out to be there long lost farther finishes the prayer.
That shows that they have reunited together as one, and that even though there father was gone for 25 years, I believe this moment strengthen there family ties. After struggles, rather to help the brothers and Rocco, Smecker decides to help the three men. He questions the retired mob boss who had helped Papa Joe recruit “ Il Duce”, and finds out their brothers are walking into a trap. Later as the brothers infiltrate Yakavetta Headquarters, Smecker follows dressed in drag to gain admittance. Smecker then kills two men before being knocked unconscious by Il Duce.
Knowing that Smecker is a police agent he desired to take justice into his own hands. He made a touchy decision to even help the brothers. He felt what the brothers were doing was right. Going to question the retired mob boss showed a sign of vigilante justice. He did that despite of being a detective. When Smecker showed up dressed in drag at Yakavetta headquarters said a lot. He obviously knew his purpose and what he felt was right. To risk his job and all took a lot of guts. It seems to me that Smecker and the brothers seek the same thing, which was to get all evil and off the streets.
Three months later, Papa Joe is sent to trial. Everyone on scene anticipates that he will be found not guilty. The brothers and there father Noah, helped by agent Smecker and three other detectives, infiltrate the trial, throwing their weapons over the metal detector, and are unmasked. They go in and make a speech, that they intend to rid evil wherever they find it. They have Papa Joe on his knees, and before the three kill him they recite their family prayer, “ And Shepherds we shall be for thee my Lord, for three power hath descended forth thy hand our feet may swiftly carry out thy commands.
So we shall flow a river forth to thee and teeming with souls shall it ever be” they kill Papa Joe, and the media dubs the three as “ the saints”. The last scene in which the movie ends, I believe shows the most display of vigilante justice. Not only did the brothers and father take it into theie own hands, but they receive help from Smecker and three police detectives. Those three detectives helping them said that the brothers and there father Noah weren’t the only ones that would take justice into their own hands. The detectives felt they were doing the right thing.
When the three entered the court room unmasked with guns loaded to seek that justice be served one way or another shows their desire to do what they felt was right. The public speech they made, that they intend to rid all evil wherever they find it, told whoever was in that courtroom and the world that vigilante justice has and will be served. The three were then were know as the saints. The movie the Boondock Saints written by Troy Duffy, shows many religious and moral beliefs. It makes the viewer decide if what the movie displayed was right or wrong.
Throughout this film religion and family played a vital role. From with in the first scene at mass on St. Patrick’s day through the last scene, at the court house, with the brothers and there father Noah. The vigilante murder spree would be unacceptable to the present United States, but through this movie it seems to be the only right thing to do. I must say this was a great , crime filled action movie. Knowing this is just the first movie of three, I want to see where there family, religion and there belief in vigilante justice takes them in part two and three.
