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The Geek Speaks: Troy Duffy's Boondock Saints

Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flannery, Norman Reedus. Dir. Troy Duffy, Franchise, 1999

7 lbs of movies #3

I messaged Our Man in the Valley, Marc Edward Heuck, before watching Boondock Saints. I said I recalled it as idiotic, but perhaps ought to aporoach it like Crank or Taken, where ridiculous and over-the-top is the point. I thought I'd start my writeup with his reply, watch the picture, and add my comments afterward. 

"I've never actively hated the movie, but I do feel it's irredeemably awful and derivative, and it has neither the tech skill of TAKEN or the fun of CRANK. It's just what happens when a mediocre talent gets cocaine; they get mediocre and LOUDER! I will say that I am a little charmed that since it didn't get a real theatrical release, it still managed to find a following through home video without his help, so at least the fandom is real and not astroturfed."

Two hours later. 

My friend Marc has always been a far kinder man than I. Find his movie writing at projectorhasbeendrinking.blogspot.com, newbev.com, and rupertpupkinspeaks.com


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