Official Synopsis:
Explore the harrowing world of The Boondock Saints as never before in this Unrated Special Edition, now Digitally Remastered by THX for unsurpassed picture quality and featuring all-new, explosive 5.1 Dolby Digital EX Surround Sound, deleted scenes, outtakes, two audio commentaries and more! Heart-pounding, tense and graphic, this definitive two-disc edition of the thrilling, action-paced cult phenomenon delivers pure excitement! Hot on the trail of the assailants behind the bloody murder of Russian thugs, FBI agent Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe) is surprised to discover the killers are Irish twin brothers (Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus) who believe they've been chosen to rid the world of evil. But as they unleash more brutality on the criminals of Boston's underworld, Smecker finds himself torn between busting the vigilantes...and joining them!
Our Take:
If you work in the movie business, whether it's as an actor, a director, a screenwriter, or just the editor of a DVD review website, then it's almost a certaintly that you've done one of two things: wait tables or work in a video store. I managed to avoid serving food, but I did my time in a video store when I was younger. After working there for a while, I noticed that at least once a week, someone would come in looking for a flick called The Boondock Saints. My curiosity was picqued, because I had never even heard of this movie, which is rare, because I've generally at least heard of almost every movie around. Of course, for whatever reason, my video store didn't carry The Boondock Saints, so not only could I provide it for customers, but I also couldn't see what all the fuss was about. Still, week after week, people would wander in and ask for it. I added it to my mental must-see list and planned to watch it very soon.
And then several years went by, and I had still managed never to see it. So when Fox announced their two-disc unrated special edition of the film, I was salivating. I was finally going to see the movie that had become a full-fledged cult phenomenon and that I had somehow never seen.
I went into the film very wary; I can't count how many times I've been let down by a film that got overhyped and ended up disappointing me. I was almost certain this was going to be one of those films.
How wrong I turned out to be. The Boondock Saints is one of the coolest movies I've seen in a very long time. Sure, the film's narrative structure borrows a page from Pulp Fiction's playbook, but this is no derivative rip-off. It's a highly stylized, action-packed thrill ride anchored by excellent performances by Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus. This is one of those movies that, had I watched it with a group of friends when it first came out, we'd still be quoting today. And "I'm strangely comfortable with that."
The two-disc special edition contains not only the unrated cut of the film, but also a bevy of great extra features. It also contains a truly cool menu design that warrants mention here.
* Commentaries - There are two on the disc. The first is by writer/director Troy Duffy, whose spectacular Hollywood crash-and-burn was actually the subject of its own independent documentary film. Duffy shares lots of insights, it's just too bad he sounds like he's stoned the whole time. The second track is with actor Billy Connoly, which is interesting because he doesn't even come into the movie until the second half. But the actor has a lot to say, and it's a great track.
* Deleted Scenes (19 minutes) - Seven scenes that were cut from the film. They're in pretty rough shape, but they're still neat to see.
* Outtakes (1 1/2 minutes) - A too-short gag reel.
* Theatrical Trailer.
Filmographies - Text info on the main players from the film. Especially sad to look at writer/director Duffy's entry and realize Saints is the only film on there.
The Boondock Saints Script - Accessible only as a DVD-ROM feature.
I'll be honest with you; as a DVD reviewer, I watch a LOT of movies. And most of them, I either love or hate, and then they go on the shelf and I forget about them as I move on to the next film. The Boondock Saints is the first film I can remember that I actually wanted to watch again before it was even over. That says a lot about how enjoyable this film is. With the amount of reviews I write, I almost never watch films twice anymore; the fact that I wanted to see this one again so quickly is beyond impressive.
Simply put, The Boondock Saints: Unrated Special Edition is one of the best DVD buys of the year. Not because the DVD itself is so great (the commentaries are excellent, but the rest of the extras really don't warrant a second disc), but because of the movie itself. Don't wait any longer to become a fan; this movie will knock you on your ass.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Overall Picture:
Movie: A+
DVD: B+
- Mike Spring
Editor
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