The Boondock Saints (1999) - There Was A Firefight

The Boondock Saints is a 1999 American vigilante action thriller film written and directed by Troy Duffy. The film stars Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus as fraternal twins Connor and Murphy MacManus, who become vigilantes after killing two members of the Russian Mafia in self-defence. After both experience an epiphany, the brothers, together with their friend “Funny Man“ Rocco (David Della Rocco), set out to rid their home city of Boston of crime and evil, all the while being pursued by FBI special agent Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe). Duffy indicates that the screenplay was inspired by personal experience while living in Los Angeles. Initially regarded as one of the hottest scripts in Hollywood, the movie had a troubled production. Miramax dropped the project in 1997 before Franchise Pictures picked it up the following year. The film was finally given a limited theatrical release of only five theatres for one week due to movie-studio politics and worries about an association with the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. It was met with poor critical reviews; however, the film ultimately grossed about $50 million in domestic video sales and developed a large cult following. The movie was followed by a 2009 sequel, The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day.