Blu-Ray Review:

The Boondock Saints

By Jason Gillard

*Screen shots are not from the Blu-Ray source.

Movie

I had never heard of this movie before.  Someone I knew from work had recommended it awhile back, but I never got around to seeing it.  Once I found out it was coming out on Blu-ray I thought this was a perfect opportunity to see the film.  Before reviewing the film I thought I would read a little bit about it first.  What I found out was really interesting.  Troy Duffy was a young writer who managed to get a studio to finance his film for 15 million dollars.  Even more amazing was that he also got the studio to let him direct it.  So why did the movie only open for a week in 5 theaters and go nowhere?  Well if you talk to Troy Duffy he will answer with one word and that's "Columbine".  Apparently the film was blacklisted for its violence.  Eventually Duffy was able to get the film made and released direct to video.  The plot is about two Irish brothers who are at a bar that they love.  When the Russian Mafia comes in and tries to take over the bar they get into a fight and end up killing them.  The brothers, surprised at how easy it was to do this, decide to make it there job to take out any mobster thief, rapist, or criminal that they come into contact with.  They become known as the saints around town. Meanwhile a really good FBI agent is hot on their heels.  He has an uncanny ability to workout how the gunfights were done.  He eventually finds out who is behind this, but is torn because he believes in what the brothers are doing.  The brothers become really good at their job and the mafia brings in "Il Duce," a well known hit man to take the brothers out.  The movie is violent and has a lot of language, but I really liked it.  It's one of those films that I am hesitant to give it a score, because even though I liked it, others may not.  Overall I suggest you at least give it a chance.

8 out of 10

Video

Even though this movie was shot with such a low budget you would never know that from the transfer you get here.  I thought it looked incredibly good considering the source material.  Black levels seem to be quite strong.  I have read other reviews that said the transfer looked soft.  Personally I thought the transfer looked really good, with detail being very evident in many scenes.  Colours were also good and I did notice there is quite a bit of grain, but I thought that actually helped the look of the movie.  Overall this is definitely a really good transfer given the low budget nature of the project.

8 out of 10

Audio

For the audio you get a 5.1 DTS-HD track.  I was also surprised at how well this turned out. There is a frantic soundtrack and lots of gun play.  Bullets is what this film does best and this track really helps in this regard. There is quite a few directional effects.  I hate to keep coming back to it, but for the budget they had they did a great job with this track.  Turn up the volume and enjoy!

8.5 out of 10

Extras

Here is what you get in the way of extras:

• Audio commentary by Troy Duffy
  
• Audio commentary by actor Billy Connolly
  
• Deleted scenes
  
• Outtakes
  
• Printable script

6 out of 10

Overall

If you like this movie you should pick up this Blu-ray.  It's got a good transfer and excellent audio.  The extras are pretty light, but if you're a fan of the film this is the best way to experience it.

8 out of 10

The Boondock Saints Blu-ray is available now from Amazon.com