26 Years Ago, One of the Most Iconic 2000s Action Movies Was Released (But Does It Even Hold Up in 2026?)

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In the mid-1990s, a bartender named Troy Duffy wrote a screenplay called The Boondock Saints, which quickly sparked a bidding war in 1997. Miramax Films ultimately won the bid, a result that would unexpectedly tie into the film’s later history. Miramax had previously distributed Pulp Fiction, and it’s clear Duffy was heavily influenced by it. However, The Boondock Saints hasn’t held up well over time, and contains elements that would likely be considered problematic by today’s standards – a fact made particularly noteworthy given that Miramax was co-founded by Harvey Weinstein. Ultimately, Miramax decided not to move forward with the film, and this decision also proved significant.

The film lost momentum, and its budget was drastically cut (by around 60%). While the recent tragedy at Columbine High School was a major factor, regardless, it only played in five theaters for one week, starting January 21st, 2000. It couldn’t find an audience in theaters because it didn’t have the opportunity, but this limited release ultimately helped it gain a following through word-of-mouth and become a cult classic.

How Has The Boondock Saints Aged Poorly?

The Boondock Saints has many issues. Beyond its unoriginal story and overly flashy style, the film contains scenes that haven’t held up well over time – much like some of the dialogue in Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction.

There’s a problematic scene involving David Della Rocco’s character, Rocco, who tries to tell a joke to a crime boss. Rocco is visibly nervous and repeatedly refers to a person as “Black guy” while telling the joke. Each time, the crime boss or his assistant – played by Ron Jeremy – interrupts him with a deeply offensive racial slur.

The scene then shows Rocco threatening two women with a gun, one being his girlfriend. He cruelly tells her he killed her cat to break up with her, but this is a lie – the cat was accidentally shot, and the film tries to play it off as humorous, despite being deeply upsetting. He also points the gun at the other woman, verbally attacking her and using insulting language related to her personal life.

The movie continues with Rocco joining forces with the two Saints to confront Ron Jeremy’s second-in-command at a peep show. While the audience is meant to root for Rocco and the Saints and dislike Jeremy’s character, it’s difficult to view Rocco as a hero given his disturbing actions – he inappropriately touches an unconscious woman, and the scene is played for laughs with romantic music. This makes it clear the film doesn’t take the act seriously.

The movie also features problematic homophobic elements. While Willem Dafoe delivers a fun and engaging performance as FBI Agent Paul Smecker – making him the most enjoyable character to watch – the character himself remains deeply flawed and offensive.

The movie heavily implies the character is gay through stereotypical behavior, and then explicitly shows him in a same-sex relationship. However, it goes too far by having a derogatory slur used to describe his partner, and then repeats the slur – this time accidentally uttered by another character in his presence – seemingly just to emphasize how provocative the film thinks it is.

Beyond that, the movie relies on a bartender’s Tourette Syndrome for cheap laughs. It’s played for humor to have him unexpectedly swear in front of children and nuns in a hospital. It’s also considered funny to show him struggling to speak, stammering and mixing up proverbs until they don’t make any sense.

Simply put, The Boondock Saints is a film that’s overly confident in its own coolness, style, and witty dialogue. While it has a dedicated fanbase, it’s arguably one of the most flawed movies of the 1990s, alongside films like The Crying Game and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

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2026-01-21 17:44