Brandon's Impotent Rage
4th April 2015, 08:28
So I just saw The Boondock Saints for the first time ever. I've known about this movie for years, and people have raved about it to me. I'm a sucker for these kinds of bloody, indie crime films (I pretty much worship the ground Robert Rodriguez walks on).
It also had some key points that I love: Working class Irish-American youths bleeding the shit out of Wiseguys and Russian mafia scumbags? That peaked my interest.
Obviously, there are still problems I have with this movie. The straw feminist at the very beginning is absolutely stupid and unnecessary. The way that Smecker (Willem Defoe's character), who is obviously gay but still insults other gay men is problematic in many ways. There are no major women characters in this movie, and any women that are in it are either victims or the straw feminist mentioned earlier.
That being said, this is quite possibly one of the most viscerally satisfying movies I've ever seen. Despite its reputation as being this ultra-violent bloodfest, the actual violence happens relatively quickly and is rarely drawn out. Obviously you'll get your slow-motion firefights and bloody gun wounds.....but that's about it. Also, unlike alot of American action/crime films, this movie never takes violence lightly. Every gunshot and every broken bone is emphasized as the horrific and traumatic experiences they really are. The final gunshot in this movie is given all the gravitas of a public execution.
But most of all....I understand the reason this movie appeals to many people, me in particular. I get that feeling of powerlessness, and the feeling that the system that is supposed to mete out justice is manipulated by the wealthy and powerful who have so much blood on their hands but either walk away scot-free or get a slap on the wrist, while the small often suffer the brunt of injustice and are usually victimized by the very cops who are supposed to protect them (of course, being a socialist I know they're the running dogs of the propertied class, but I digress).
So yeah....maybe I need to write my own screenplay. A left-wing version of The Boondock Saints. Too bad I have little talent.
It also had some key points that I love: Working class Irish-American youths bleeding the shit out of Wiseguys and Russian mafia scumbags? That peaked my interest.
Obviously, there are still problems I have with this movie. The straw feminist at the very beginning is absolutely stupid and unnecessary. The way that Smecker (Willem Defoe's character), who is obviously gay but still insults other gay men is problematic in many ways. There are no major women characters in this movie, and any women that are in it are either victims or the straw feminist mentioned earlier.
That being said, this is quite possibly one of the most viscerally satisfying movies I've ever seen. Despite its reputation as being this ultra-violent bloodfest, the actual violence happens relatively quickly and is rarely drawn out. Obviously you'll get your slow-motion firefights and bloody gun wounds.....but that's about it. Also, unlike alot of American action/crime films, this movie never takes violence lightly. Every gunshot and every broken bone is emphasized as the horrific and traumatic experiences they really are. The final gunshot in this movie is given all the gravitas of a public execution.
But most of all....I understand the reason this movie appeals to many people, me in particular. I get that feeling of powerlessness, and the feeling that the system that is supposed to mete out justice is manipulated by the wealthy and powerful who have so much blood on their hands but either walk away scot-free or get a slap on the wrist, while the small often suffer the brunt of injustice and are usually victimized by the very cops who are supposed to protect them (of course, being a socialist I know they're the running dogs of the propertied class, but I digress).
So yeah....maybe I need to write my own screenplay. A left-wing version of The Boondock Saints. Too bad I have little talent.