In the mid-nineties, a struggling musician and bartender named Troy Duffy was appalled when he came home to his Los Angeles apartment and witnessed a cadaver being taken out of a drug dealer's apartment across the hall. That night, out of "sheer frustration and not being able to afford a psychologist," Duffy began the cathartic process of writing his first screenplay entitled The Boondock Saints.
The Boondock Saints is the story of a pair of fraternal twin brothers from South Boston. The Irish Catholic duo ends up killing two members of the Russian mafia in self-defense after they try to shut down a friend's bar on St. Patrick's Day. After the Saints turn themselves in, the media hails them as heroes and the two blue-collar brothers resolve to continue killing evil people in the name of God. At one point, they are nearly caught by a cunning detective, however, the detective joins forces with the Saints after he decides that what they are doing is a necessary evil.
In today's world, we turn on the news and are greeted with a barrage of horrific stories detailing villainous acts. The same honest, hard-working citizens who fall victim to these monsters then have to pay tax dollars to keep criminals alive in prison. Even if an inmate is sentenced to death, the appeals process can be so long and arduous that capital punishment can end up being more costly than incarcerating a prisoner for a life-sentence. The idea of dealing out a swift brand of justice in the form of vigilantism can be a tempting fantasy, although it can lead to a number of ethical dilemmas. Although the Saints are breaking the commandment, "Thou shalt not kill," they believe that they are saving more lives than they are taking. This justification is valid in the sense that they kill a number of mob bosses who are indirectly responsible for the suffering and death of hundreds of people. However, many question what gives the Saints the right to murder in accordance with their own belief of what is good and evil. They claim that rape, murder and theft are sacrilege regardless of your personal faith, but many believe that there is a spectrum of criminality, and some cases require special consideration rather than a black and white form of justice.
Troy Duffy argues that everyone has a breaking point, and that anyone who is constantly exposed to the shortcomings of our justice system will eventually want to act out against the criminals that it sets free. As our culture becomes more and more politically correct, perhaps it is necessary to have heroes such as The Boondock Saints in order to keep our sometimes overly-lenient treatment of criminals in check. The righteous have nothing to fear.
"Never shall innocent blood be shed, yet the blood of the wicked shall flow like a river. [The Two] shall spread their blackened wings and be the vengeful striking hammer of God."
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I think this is a perfect example of the idea that not all heroes have to be “good.” The Boondock Saints, in my eyes, are most definitely heroes despite the fact that they are committing murder. What’s not heroic about eliminating villains from society?
Classic example of vigilance. Much like Dexter (who i posted about)the brothers commit murder, but not too many people seem to mind as long as long as the wicked are being stopped. Something that these types of heroes fail to see is that people can change. While it doesn’t happen all of the time, vigilantes rob criminals of this opportunity. I’m not saying I have a major issue with this, it is merely something to consider.
Here is where the issue of Vigilantes comes to highlight – the duo kills for the sack of good which they define by their religion. Dexter Morgan the other vigilante blogged about would is that he acts based on moral codes that transcends above religion , society, and personal beliefs. The duo of The Boondock Saints walks a fine line of killing evil mafia bosses in religions ceremonial manner. I wouldn't call The Boondock Saints heroes but rather place them in the category of Saint Joan of Arc and Saladin.