The Boondock Saintsdirector Troy Duffy gleefully admits that he ripped off Quentin Tarantino for the Willem Dafoe scenes. Written and directed by Duffy in his feature debut, the 1999 film follows Irish twin brothers who turn into vigilantes after killing two Russian mobsters in self-defense and, following a shared epiphany, the brothers embark on a mission to cleanse Boston of its criminal underworld in the name of God, all while being tracked by an FBI Agent. Themovie stars Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, David Della Rocco, and Billy Connolly.
During an exclusive interview withScreen Rantfor the film’s 25th anniversary,Troy Duffy gleefully admitted that he ripped off Quentin Tarantino for the Willem Dafoe scenes inThe Boondock Saints. Duffy admired how Tarantino used nontraditional flashbacks inReservoir Dogsand decided to “rip him off” by adopting a similar approach, but with his own personal spin. Read his full comments below:
In Reservoir Dogs, they went through that extensive flashback sequence where Tim [Roth] wrote the script of the story he was going to tell to the mobsters, and then he’s in the bathroom explaining it right in front of the barking dogs. I realized the usual experience an audience would have in a flashback was this lazy [connection from] A to B to C. When I saw Tarantino do that, I’m like, “My God, you’re able to do anything. That’s a whole new way to tell a story, not just connect the dots.” So I decided, “I’m going to rip him off,” but whenever I do that, I have to do it in my own way.
What Troy Duffy’s Comments Mean For The Boondock Saints
The Director Admits He Ripped Off Tarantino For Certain Scenes
The debate regarding Troy Duffy ripping offQuentin Tarantino moviesforThe Boondock Saintshas been raging for nearly 25 years since the film’s release. At the time,the movie was excoriated by critics, indicated by its 26% Rotten Tomatoes score, for attempting to imitate the worst tendencies of Tarantino’s style, especially his earlier works such asReservoir DogsandPulp Fiction. This includes his use of nonlinear narratives, but also his propensity for stylized violence and pop-culture-laden dialogue.
The Boondock Saints Review
This movie took a half-baked idea and executed it so poorly that the end result is almost unwatchable. This is a cinematic disaster.
Tarantino is known for his nonlinear narratives, especially inReservoir DogsandPulp Fiction, andThe Boondock Saintsadopts a similar approach by using flashbacks to show how certain events unfold, particularly in scenes where the two brothers carry out their vigilante killings. The aftermath of the crimes is often shown before the event itself, mimicking the disjointed storytelling approach that Tarantino popularized. While Duffy admits to ripping off this aspect of his signature style,he doesn’t acknowledge his similar use of stylized violence or other imitationsofTarantino’s style.
Our Take On The Boondock Saints Ripping Off Tarantino
It’s The Film’s Major Flaw
Duffy’s own admission of ripping off Tarantino highlights the film’s major flaw – it feels like a shallow copy rather than a creative homage.
WhileThe Boondock Saintssurely has its own cult following, it does borrow heavily from Tarantino’s style without adding anything particularly new or original. It imitates his nonlinear narratives, stylized violence, anti-hero characters, and dialogue, but often without the same level of sophistication or depth that makes Tarantino’s films so effective. Duffy’s own admission of ripping off Tarantino highlights the film’s major flaw – it feels like a shallow copy rather than a creative homage.
The Boondock Saints
Cast
After brothers Connor and Murphy kill two Russian mobsters in self-defense, they set out on a vigilante mission to rid Boston of crime and violence. However, an FBI agent is hot on their trail.
