Movie · 1999 · Action, Thriller, Crime · 1h 48m · R · English
Curator score: 3.6/10 (419.3K ratings)
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done.
Overview
Tired of the crime overrunning the streets of Boston, Irish Catholic twin brothers Conner and Murphy are inspired by their faith to cleanse their hometown of evil with their own brand of zealous vigilante justice. As they hunt down and kill one notorious gangster after another, they become controversial folk heroes in the community. But Paul Smecker, an eccentric FBI agent, is fast closing in on their blood-soaked trail.
Ratings
Curator score: 3.6/10
IMDb: 7.6/10
Letterboxd: 3.43/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 26%
Metacritic: 44
TMDB: 7.3/10
Director
Troy Duffy
Production
Franchise Pictures, Brood Syndicate, B.D.S. Productions Inc.
Cast
Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, David Della Rocco, Billy Connolly, Bob Marley, Brian Mahoney, Gerard Parkes, David Ferry, Carlo Rota, Richard Fitzpatrick, William Young, Robert Pemberton, Bill Craig, Dot-Marie Jones, Scott Griffith, Layton Morrison, James Binkley, Matthew Chaffee, Robert Eaton
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Peacock Premium, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus
Curator Review
Verdict
A cult crime thriller with a loud, juvenile streak and one unforgettable performance anchoring the chaos. It’s messy, overblown, and often ugly in its politics, but if you’re in the mood for stylized vigilante violence and black-comic excess, it has a hard-to-deny trashy energy.
Best for
fans of cult crime movies
viewers who like stylized violence and quotable dialogue
people who enjoy eccentric supporting performances
audiences nostalgic for late-90s DVD-era action
Skip if
you’re sensitive to homophobic humor or macho posturing
you want tight, polished crime writing
you prefer grounded realism over comic-book vigilante fantasy
you dislike amateurish direction or self-serious edginess
Overview
The Boondock Saints is the kind of movie that became a calling card for a certain kind of movie bro culture: loud, violent, self-mythologizing, and convinced of its own coolness. That reputation is not entirely undeserved. The plotting is clumsy, the dialogue often feels like it was written to be shouted in a dorm room, and the film’s attitude can be crass in ways that age badly.
Worth noting
But it also has a scrappy, combustible energy that explains why it stuck around. The vigilante premise is simple and blunt, and the movie leans hard into pulp excess rather than subtlety. Willem Dafoe’s performance is the real engine here, turning what could have been a forgettable crime picture into something far more watchable and bizarre.
Bottom line
If you approach it as a cult artifact instead of a serious crime drama, there’s some rough entertainment value to be had. It’s not a great film, but it is a memorable one, especially for viewers who enjoy chaotic genre movies with a strong midnight-movie aftertaste.
Top Letterboxd reviews
kendraxxvii (2★) · 3731 likes
in this movie, willem dafoe…
a. is gay
b. is homophobic
c. does drag
d. all of the above
Tentin Quarantino ☭ (0.5★) · 1587 likes
I've written better stories on toilet paper, and I don't mean with a pen.
Wood (4★) · 1171 likes
You guys are hacks this is a great movie. I like Boondock Saints mostly because I am a dumb dude. This movie is tailor made for dumb dudes. Full of gratuitous violence and fuck words. Everything Willem Dafoe did made me laugh super hard.
My dad recommended this movie to me.
1994 · Thriller, Crime, Comedy · 2h 34m · R · Curator 9.5/10 (6.5M ratings) · Where to watch: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, MGM Plus
For viewers who respond to crime stories built on attitude, stylized dialogue, and morally slippery characters.