The Boondock Saints

May 3, 2010 - Two Irish brothers do what the police and FBI can't in this R-rated shoot 'em up from 1999. Willem Dafoe and Billy Connolly are the most recognizable actors in the movie.

Set in Boston, the film centers on Connor and Murphy MacManus, two working-class Irish Catholic brothers. On St. Patrick's Day, they have a run-in with some Russian mobsters and end up on the winning end of the showdown. Inspired by their success, the brothers set out on a bloody but divine mission to take down more of Boston's criminal element. They're loved by the people and praised as saints by the media.

Dafoe is Paul Smecker, a gay, opera-loving, homophobic FBI agent. He wonders who is behind all these killings and sets out to catch them. But, he's torn between his duty as an agent and his admiration for whoever it is that's doing what the police can't.

Overall review: ** If you like your violence delivered with a smile and a prayer, then this movie is for you. The brothers show their victims no mercy, but they show them respect once they're dead. Dafoe steals the film with his over-the-top performance. Boondock Saints loses points for being uneven in its pacing, but it's still worth a look.