The Only Saints
I'll Pray To

I don't think the vigilante trope has had enough screen time. We've had typical superheroes, antiheroes, villain origin stories, and more. But I want more vigilante plotlines: protagonists who take matters into their own hands, but aren't entirely good themselves, either. I know Batman is the prime example, but I need more people to get into The Boondock Saints, too.

This highly underrated 1999 action-thriller has the great Norman Reedus hunting down criminals over a decade before he fought against zombies in The Walking Dead. Paired with the equally badass Sean Patrick Flanery, they both portrayed the MacManus brothers, Irish Catholic twins who go on a crusade to kill gangsters to make Boston safer.

Their own brand of vigilante justice isn't exactly in line with the law, so they themselves are hunted down by an eccentric and equally zealous FBI agent. And who could ever play a hunter who hunts down other hunters? The great Willem Dafoe, of course.

The cast alone piqued my interest, but the movie made me a fan. It's truly one of the best movies released in 1999, which was already a stacked year. Cinema really peaked before the 21st century, and I'm glad we got this gem, even if it's underrated.

Fortunately, the movie is a cult classic. It's popular enough to have had a panel at Comicpalooza 2016, 17 years after it premiered. The event is held in Houston, Texas, and is considered the state's own version of Comic-Con. It was also a homecoming of sorts, since Flanery is a Houston native, and I traveled there just for The Boondock Saints reunion.

It was awesome to see them all together again. Norman Reedus, Sean Patrick Flanery, David Della Rocco, and Brian Mahoney were all there, as was Clifton Collins Jr., who starred in the 2009 sequel, The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day. Sadly, Willem Dafoe and Billy Connolly didn't attend.

Still, seeing the MacManus brothers together in real life made the trip more than worth it. Especially Reedus, who was at the peak of his fame with The Walking Dead then. I really liked that he made time to come here, despite what was likely the busiest time of his career. It only goes to show that even he loved the movie, too.

The panel was great, and I enjoyed hearing them talk about making the film, the sequel, working together, and the impact it's had over the years. It was also really heartwarming to know how much they still love the movie. They could've easily moved on with their lives and forgotten about it, but they didn't.

That's also what I initially thought Dafoe and Connolly did, since they weren't at the event, but I was wrong. I eventually met them separately years later, and when they saw the poster I asked them to sign, they had a faint smile. I only wish there'd be another chance for them to reunite with the rest of the cast, and you can bet I'll be there, too.