Synopsis
Troy Duffy, bartender, writes a script and suddenly is given a lucrative deal by Miramax to make this film, and his band is promised a recording contract. The script is for The Boondock Saints, that stunning little word-of-mouth success that has found quite a life of its own on DVD. But this is what happened before the film became a cult hit, as filmed by two of Duffy’s then-friends who were hired to do a making-of documentary. What we see is a man whose talent, though (on the basis o… the film) real, is hugely exceeded by his arrogance and general disregard for anyone other than himself. A fascinating character study, all the more so because I guarantee you KNOW someone just like this jerk.
Audio
The sound is basically limited to the source material (i.e. camcorders), so this is yet another case where a rating is meaningless. Feel free to ignore the default 2.5 stars I’ve given it. There is some 2.0 surround music to pretty things up occasionally.
Video
Another meaningless rating, since the picture is also dependent on how the film was shot – hardly in ideal circumstances. The fact that the transfer is not anamorphic does tend to make the already considerable grain and muddiness that much worse, however.
Special Features
Oh, for a commentary track on this baby. Sadly, the only comments we get from directors Mark Brian Smith and Tony Montana is a brief interview they gave on a segment for “Backstage with Barry Nolan” on CN8. There are cast and crew bios, the trailer, and deleted scenes (two), but I would have loved to have learned a lot more about what went on behind the scenes of THIS picture. The menu has limited animated and score for the main screen.
Closing Thoughts
A different sort of rise-and-fall tale. Compelling and repellent at the same time. Good stuff.
Special Features List
- Director Interview
- Deleted Scenes
- Cast and Crew Bios
- Theatrical Trailer
