The Movie
The genre of the vigilante crime drama had fallen into disrepair 'round-about the turn of the millennium, until writer director Troy Duffy shocked it back to life with his explosive film, The Boondock Saints. Infusing it with themes of family and religion as much as or more than justice and frustration, he created something that managed to be entertaining, though-provoking and remarkably enduring, as well as a little trippy at times.
A crazy-smart FBI Agent (Willem Dafoe) is investigating the death of some Russian gangsters in Boston, and the young MacManus brothers, Connor and Murphy (Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus) confess to the crime. These two illegal immigrant Irish-Catholic meatpackers are released without being charged and even hailed as local heroes for helping to rid the city of such vermin.
But, inspired a series of circumstances, they decide that this is only the beginning of their mission to strike down evil men, with God on their side. And it turns out that they are really good at it, which is lucky for them as they dive into the middle of a mob war. But whose side will the FBI agent be on?
The story is told through an ongoing series of flashbacks and with a wicked sense of humor. The theatrical release, and more so the various home video incarnations over the years--this disc says "10th Anniversary" but that math is hinky since I've seen both 1999 and 2000 listed as birthdates--have led to a cult following which even spawned a sequel, a long, winding journey best explained by the included documentary. This Blu-ray contains both the original version and the Director's Cut, not any longer really but quite different in its editorial choices.
The Picture
I'm guessing that this is a high-bitrate AVC presentation (in the upper 30s, occasionally crossing over 40 Mbps) of a pre-existing video master. The 2.35:1 image could definitely be sharper in many scenes, and the edge enhancement is undeniable, while some shots also show an unfortunate strobing in motion. But for the most part the level of detail is acceptable and the subdued palette is well-represented, although for better or worse the buckets of blood tend to look too pink.
The Sound
The eclectic assemblage of music throughout the DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is enjoyably dynamic and bass-heavy, and many scenes display a fine, subtle resonance as well. I had some difficulty settling on a suitable volume level, as quiet scenes were very quiet but the loud scenes were in danger of being too loud. There's surprisingly little discrete 5.1 action and limited directionality except for the real showpiece shootouts, as when we first see The Duke (Billy Connolly) doing what he does best. I don't know, I expected more from this one.
The Extras
Exclusive to the Director's Cut are two audio commentaries, the first with writer/director Troy Duffy and the other from co-star Billy Connolly, curious considering his brief screen time. Accessible from both versions are seven deleted scenes (19 minutes total in a rather nasty SD), one-and-a-half minutes of goofy on-camera antics (also SD), and the aforementioned "The Boondock Saints: The Film and the Phenomenon" documentary. This new 29-minute retrospective reunites Duffy, Flanery, Reedus and co-star David Della Rocco for a frank look back at the genesis, release and beyond, in HD.
Disc Two, a DVD-ROM, carries a Digital Copy of the unrated edition for iTunes or Windows Media.
Final Thoughts
This edition is a Blu-ray double-dip for Fox, so refreshed audio and video would have been a welcome enticement. But the bonuses of a Digital Copy and the new HD documentary might be enough to convince holdouts to pull the trigger.
Product Details
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