Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Fraternal twins Conner and Murphey MacMannus are on a mission from God to rid Boston of crime. However, instead of signing up for the police force, these hard-drinking Irish-American brothers take the law into their own hands a la Charles Bronson in "Death Wish". Heralded as saints by the city's beleaguered residents, the brothers also attract the attention of Paul Smecker, the openly gay FBI special agent assigned to investigate the spate of killings amongst the ranks of the Russian mafia.

It took me a long time to find this cult hit. I had a friend who kept talking this film up to me forever and it wasn’t until recently that I saw it for the first time. It is great to see Fox delivering more of their cult titles on Blu-ray lately, it seems this month is chocked full of them. Boondock Saints reminds me a lot of Tarantino’s earlier work like Reservoir Dogs, with a little touch of Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels thrown in. Call it a vengeance movie about two brothers who decide to go on their own killing spree of evil men. This includes the Russian and Italian mafia. There is also Willem Dafoe who plays a somewhat loony FBI agent who has a knack for figuring weird crap out. All in all though this was a very entertaining ride. This Blu-ray includes both cuts of the film via seamless branching, which is a feature I’m starting to love about Blu-ray releases.

The HD image held up much better than I expected for a rather low budget film of this nature. Fine detail isn’t quite up there with the better releases but overall detail is stronger than I expected. The print is in pretty decent shape with only some minor wear and tear from time to time. I did notice some light ringing from time to time but the image doesn’t have a processed look to it. Colors can be a bit muted but contrast levels are strong. Overall this is a far better HD presentation than I would have hoped for and I’m sure fans will be pleased.

The soundtrack shows more of the budget limitations than the image does. The balance of elements favors the score and soundtrack selections a bit too much at times and dialogue can sound a tad thin. Surrounds are used quite aggressively though and provide a pretty engaging soundstage overall.

Fox includes a pair of audio commentaries for the film along with some deleted scenes and outtakes. You also get the film’s script for review.

It is great to see Fox release more of their cult favorites on Blu-ray lately. The A/V presentation is quite strong here considering the budget constraints of the film and I was pleased to see the inclusion of both cuts of the film. Easy recommendation for fans and newcomers alike.