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"No women, no kids, that's the rules."
In a civil society, there are few professions more reprehensible than that of hitman, cleaner, assassin, a job that, by definition, requires the death of another human being to exist at all. In real life, you wouldn't want to meet a hitman, let alone get to know one, but Hollywood hitmen are often far more interesting, engaging, relatable and...handsome, like Brad Pitt in his new movie, Killing Them Softly. Of course, it wouldn't be fair to dismiss Pitt's second go-round — the first being John Smith in Mr. & Mrs. Smith — as a contender for the movie hitmen hall of fame based solely on his looks, so we'll reserve judgment until Killing Them Softly debuts on Friday. In the meantime, help us determine what sort of competition Pitt's Jackie Cogan is up against by ranking the best movie hitmen of all time.
Rate the Top 10 Best Movie Hitmen >>
killer entertainment newsWeeknights after the movies
Posted 11.26.12 by BrentJS -
If there is one thing Hollywood likes, it's a comeback story, and no one seems more poised for that right now than writer-director Troy Duffy. Politics may have sunk his The Boondock Saints initially, but word of mouth and DVD sales proved co-star Billy Connolly right when he said, "The kids will find it! It's rock 'n' roll!"
Now the saints have been resurrected in a sequel, The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day. In honor of this achievement, we look at six movies that surprisingly failed in theaters in Back from the Dead: Movie Classics that Began as Box-Office Bombs.
Posted 10.30.09 by reelz -
It's been 10 years, but the MacManus brothers are back and ready for action in The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, the sequel to the cult classic film starring Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus.
After their vendetta against the mob in the first film, the brothers fled to Ireland, where they've been keeping a low profile. However, when a priest is murdered in Boston and the brothers are framed for it, they return to Boston with a vengeance.
Posted 10.28.09 by BrentJS -
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day is proof positive that even a movie that doesn't make a splash at the box office can earn a sequel if the fans get behind it. The original feature, which debuted in 1999, opened in only five theaters, but has since then become a cult classic.
In Saints Day, the MacManus brothers, fraternal twins played by Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus, are hiding out in Ireland after their bloody vendetta against the mob made it too hot for them in the States. However, when a priest is murdered, the two vigilantes must return to Boston to take care of business. The official movie poster for Saints Day was finally revealed by MTV, which also has a set of stills from the movie.
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day was directed by Troy Duffy and also sees the return of Billy Connolly as the brothers' father, Il Duce.
Posted 10.05.09 by BrentJS -
Sequels seem to be all the rage in Hollywood, but it's especially impressive when a movie that loses money at the box office receives one. The difference is that Boondock Saints didn't flop due to its quality, but rather because of a combination of botched distribution and insufficient marketing. The movie, which starred Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus as two Irish brothers who think they were divinely chosen to rid Boston of evil, developed a huge cult following in the years since its release, resulting in the return of the MacManus brothers — and their father, Il Duce (played by Billy Connolly) — in Troy Duffy's The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day.
When All Saints Day was introduced at the San Diego Comic-Con this year, the reaction of the fans was overwhelmingly positive. In a recent interview with Icon Vs. Icon, Flanery said that the crowd made him feel like "Mick Jagger for a day" and that fans of the original will not be disappointed with the sequel.
I have seen cuts in various incarnations. I can tell you this — it stays true to the first film in theme and style and everything. Most sequels are bigger, louder and this film is a perfect sequel to the first one. It explains a lot of things, but it is not big bang just for the sake of big bang, ya know what I mean? I think that everybody is really going to like this film. I really do!
Posted 09.21.09 by BrentJS -
Though he's been acting on television and movies for nearly two decades, Clifton Collins Jr. has really come into his own in recent years with bit parts in Star Trek, Crank: High Voltage, and Sunshine Cleaning. Most recently his skills were noticed by Troy Duffy and Mike Judge, who both tapped him for a starring role in their 2009 features Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day and Extract, respectively.
Collins took some time out from filming The Experiment to talk with us about his upcoming movies. The role he plays in Boondock Saints II should particularly vibe with fans because, well, he plays one of them:
My character is kind of the viewpoint of the fans, if the fans had the chance to be in the world with the saints. I play a guy who's a street hustler and has his issues like everyone else and loves the saints. He wants to be one of them, he follows them; they're his hero in a way. The saints, they see him and go "Wow, that guy's got a lot of heart." He wants to prove himself to them and he's gotta do everything to gain their trust, which gives the movie a lot of action and a lot of its comedy.
The part seems a natural for Collins, which is no surprise given how he ended up in the role:
Troy actually wrote the role for me. I was around for the first film, all the hoopla and the sensationalism — I mean who didn't want to be in Boondock Saints. My lawyer, who's one of my best friends, introduced me to Troy on his birthday on June eighth as that was happening. Of course, I still had to audition and screen test
Collins also spoke about his side career as a music video director, since there's been speculation about whether he'd try and make the transition into features.
I've always had different directors ask me when I was going to direct and I've never really thought about it too much. I've had actor friends call me to coach them out of the blue, and it's something I enjoy, it's something that's a lot of fun for me ... but not my goal. One of the things I love about videos, especially ones that I choose, is the storytelling aspect. I'm working on a spec video right now for Jimmy Johnson just because I love his song. I'm actually working on a shot list right now.
Collins was also optimistic that unlike Troy and Judge's last movies, Boondock Saints II and Extract would get the support from the studios they deserve.
I think right now the studios are pretty hungry to make some money. When you get some great films like Boondock Saints II and Extract, they know that the old Troy and Mike are ready to come back, and they're ready to do what it takes to get audiences to see them.
And Collins isn't just speaking hot air, he's seen a full cut of Boondock Saints II.
The film has been made the way it should've been made. It didn't have the biggest budget but for what we had, they did a great job. After leaving Comic-Con you should've seen the fanfair; it was pretty phenomenal. I saw a fat version and it was great, and I know there's an even tigether version that Troy's been working on that should really wow.
Posted 08.14.09 by reelz -
Director Troy Duffy announced to a packed room in San Diego that the sequel to his cult hit, The Boondock Saints will hit theaters on November 1, 2009, All Saints Day. A fitting date for Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day. Even though this surprised no one, it was a welcome announcement for a movie thought dead years ago.
The Comic-Con panel featured the All Saint's Day trailer as well as appearances by its stars Billy Connely, Sean Patrick Flannery, and Norman Reedus, who were genuinely thrilled and grateful to be at Comic-Con and gracious to the fans who demanded the sequel be made.
Duffy promised fans will see more of what they loved in the first movie and many more surprises. He also revealed that, as suspected, Willem Dafoe's character Paul Smecker will not be returning for All Saints Day, but fan favorite David Della Rocco, who made a surprise appearance in the fan Q&A line, will be back. Given that he died in the first movie, it will be interesting to see how this gets pulled off.
In a panel full of surprises, and enough swearing to make even Quentin Tarantino blush, the biggest surprise was when another favorite from Boondock Saints appeared: adult film legend Ron Jeremy. Did you know that Jeremy has teaching credentials and frequently lectures on college campuses? Neither did we.
The panel felt refreshingly more like a school reunion than a big studio media blitz. Fans were even included in the cast and crew's celebration, as Duffy invited them to join up for drinks at a local San Diego pub that night.
Posted 07.28.09 by reelz