This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
Holy War
Plot Overview
When three Russian mobsters try to close
McGinty's Bar in South Boston on Saint Patrick's Day a week ahead of
schedule, they find themselves outnumbered by an uncooperative
clientele and get the worse of it in a bar fight. Irish-American
brothers-german Connor (Sean Patrick Flanery) & Murphy
MacManus (Norman Reedus) occupying the high ground thwart their attempted
revenge the next day. Hot shot, gay FBI agent Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe)
figures it for self-defense and the Micks become champs. Following
an incoming text on one of the goombah's pagers, they interdict a
meeting of upper echelon wiseguys in the Copley Plaza Hotel wasting
every man jack of them in the Presidential Suite. Sent there as a
sop, Wop Roc (David Della Rocco) finds his suicidal job done for him,
but he's obviously making no headway in the Italian mob hierarchy,
so he joins the two brothers to exact vigilante justice on:
“Mafiosos and not just … mob guys, but rapists, and murderers
and child molesters … pimps and drug dealers and all that
sh!t.” They spare the innocent and women and
children and even a suspicious cop or two (“He isn't to be
touched”), some of whom are on their side (“He's a good
man”) as is a hectored priest (“The laws of God are greater
than the laws of man”) but not a black judge who gets put in his
place (“Go to the back.”) Media man-on-the-street
interviews play with the scrolling credits, offering diverse opinions.
Ideology
Here
“Russian syndicates have started a gang war” with a humble
beginning à la, (Prov. 30:33)
“Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing
of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth
strife.” A constant aggravation over time can change a state of peace
to one of war, as can an irritation to a critical area.
“Funny Man” Rocco sends
us up with a joke adaptable to the milk-churned-into-butter simile
in the proverb.
A little girl is playing with her tea set all day long and then turns
her attention to the lamp in the corner. As she rubs it, out pops
a genie who grants her wish of a drink of the real thing. In Boston
“decent men with loving families, they go home every day after
work and they turn on the news. … They see rapists, and murderers
and child molesters. They're all getting out of prison.
¶“Mafiosos. Gettin' caught with twenty kilos. Gettin' out
on bail the same effing day.” Into this travesty waltzes the
Russian mob trying to shake down a neighborhood Irish pub on
Saint Paddy's day, no less. It has finally got to be too much for
John Q. Public, and there's a fundamental change of attitude towards
“all the lowlifes in Boston.” Now it's, “Kill
'em all.”
The simile in the movie corresponding
to wringing the nose to get blood occurs at Rocco's rundown apartment
where an accidental discharge of his pistol wouldn't do much damage
except it splattered the cat all over the wall, much to the chagrin
of his girlfriend Donna who walks in later looking for her
“beloved Skippy.” Funny man Rocco “thought it would
bring closure to our relationship.” Right. Rocco has been
a loyal runner for the Italian mob for eighteen years now, suffering
in silence all their abuse, and finally they give him a chance to
make his bones. They send him with a six shooter to a meeting of
supposedly a couple of competitor gangbangers … but there's
nine of them. Sure, given his opportunity Rocco will do some damage,
but he's not expected to survive. Afterward when he does the
math, it brings closure to their relationship.
Production Values
“” (1999) was written and directed by Troy Duffy. It stars Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus. Dafoe as FBI is a sensation the way he hams it up, but gay jokes are getting old by now. Flanery and Reedus are both generic Irishmen, which is fitting for Saint Patrick's Day but not for Oscar night. It was, however, quite a mix of competent character acting.
MPAA rated it R for strong violence, language and sexual content. Flashbacks are handily employed to keep us on our toes. The violence strays somewhat from realism but is much fun to watch. This film bombed in theaters but became a cult classic in the rental market.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
This movie was partly
filmed in a Lutheran church that was a stand-in for Catholic, none
of the latter caring to be associated with the film. There's good
reason for that, but objections are adequately covered in public
commentary at the end. It's fun to watch if you're into holy mayhem.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Well done action flick. Suitability For Children: Not Suitable for Children of Any Age. Special effects: Well done special effects. Video Occasion: Saint Paddy's Day fare. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Four stars out of five.
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