Criminals As Heroes: The Boondock Saints

“Now you will recieve us. We do not ask for your poor or your hungry. We do not want your tired and sick. It is your corrupt we claim. It is your evil that will be sought by us. With every breath we shall hunt them down; Each day we will spill their blood til it rains down from the skies. Do not kill, do not rape, do not steal.” (The Boondock Saints)

Few films inspire such controversial conversation as that of The Boondock Saints. The crime-thriller, about Connor and Murphy MacManus, focuses upon the two Irish-American brothers as they find a new meaning in life by way of murdering the career criminals that infest the city of Boston. Sympathy toward their new career choice and the results produced from it causes a number of unexpected allies,

The movie produces an image of the McManuses as criminals working outside of a government body that has become corrupted by mob influence and can no longer uphold justice. Taking the law into their own hands presents itself as a solution to the injustice that runs rampant in their city. Paul Kooistra further explores the concept of raising lawbreakers to a position of hero in an article he published entitled “Criminals as Heroes: Linking Symbol to Structure”. In regards to such criminals Kooistra argues, “These lawbreakers are best understood as cultural products that represent a concept of extra-legal justice” (217-218). He goes on to say, “ they are considered by a large portion of the public as moral and honorable; these brigands represent a ‘higher’ justice” (Kooistra 219). Kooistra, with this definition, unwittingly describes the brother as they were portrayed in the early scenes of the film, when the public’s positive reaction towards the brother’s murders are broadcast to the viewer through television reports. The contrasting view, and the one most applicable to the character of Rocco, is summarized by Dawn Duncan in her description of the contemporary anti-hero as: “the anti-hero acts outside legal boundaries for purely selfish motives: ambition or money” (155). Rocco relates especially well here because he does not share the

Dr. Joy McEntee, professor of American literature and film at the University of Adelaide, describes this phenomenon by saying, “This film dramatizes revenge in some of its old, daft, dark style, and with a momentum mat allows audiences to ignore, momentarily, the fact that their empathy with the revengers' exuberance leads them into questionable ethical territory. The film's indebtedness to revenge tragedy is most visible in this perverse and amoral seduction of its viewers” (50). The film takes execution scenes that would normally appear gristly and morose, places them in slow motion, adds in some arias and other choir music, and produces scenes that instead possess an aesthetic quality that verges on appealing. This de-demonization of actions is expanded upon by creating an emotional connection between the viewer and MacManus brothers early on; showcasing them as fun loving, care free, and intelligent. This in turn makes it difficult for the viewer to see the brothers as criminals. The moral instinct is dulled and the ability to understand that the decisions the Saints make are inherently wrong is covered by the fact that the brothers are portrayed as great guys. The fact that these miniscule tactics are so effective plays upon a concept that is brought up numerous times throughout the film: the idea that there is an