The holy place is empty not... I’ve heard so much about this movie that I still knew about it before I saw it. Where only did not call it cult, what not compared... What kind of cult could he cause? Only a cult of personality, as these guys can take an example, although not quite adequate.
Two ordinary Irish boys, brothers Connor and Murphy, quietly lived and worked in their native Boston, until one day they had an epiphany: God sent them to earth with a special mission, endowing them with holy power to cleanse the world of evil. And the brothers took up the business with all the seriousness inherent in the Irish. Soon, the local mafia embraces a real panic - because the methods of the "saints" are not very humane, but they turned out to be very effective - the blood flowed like a river! But this cannot go unpunished. In their wake is special agent Paul Smecker, who is torn between catching and helping the brothers.
In general, the plot itself was potentially very interesting and very original. This is not about the brothers, to whom God seemed to send illumination and holy power. It even seems like a bit of nonsense. I was more interested in the feelings of the detective, who on the one hand had to carry out his civic duty and catch criminals, but on the other hand he understood that they were doing the same thing, only he was legal and they were not. Why are they worse than him?
This is what I originally planned before I watched. I wanted to see real human drama unfolding against the backdrop of bloody events. It was clear that militant events would come to the fore, but I still hoped that it would be somehow more vital. In fact, the way they played it, I really didn't like it. And the fact that the hero of William Defoe turned out to be a homosexual and some third incomprehensible hero in a seemingly charismatic team put. And Paul Smacker’s spiritual transition to the side of the brothers was performed so carelessly, inexplicably, that I even became a little offended. But, nevertheless, the film has its advantages. This is the first film directed by Troy Duffy. There are some new specific moves. At least the non-linearity of the demonstration of raids by the “holy brothers” on the mafia. It’s like this: either the investigation first and then the crime, or it happens in parallel. It looks very cool and unusual. But this is probably the only big plus of the movie.
From the actors, I liked Norman Reedus, who played one of the brothers. But who didn’t like it was William Defoe. Not him, but his hero himself. A brilliant intelligence agent, and at the same time a homosexual. He looked so ridiculous, especially in the nightclub and the country villa of one of the mobsters, that it was even a little funny. Perhaps his image, which some will find very interesting, spoiled my impression of the film. This is just the surface of the iceberg.
To sum up, the film would be good if it were implemented correctly. It can be called ambiguous, because the idea here is very interesting, but I will call it a little unsuccessful. And the director, who bathed after this film in the rays of fame, made his next film only ten years later, and it again turned out to be... Saints from the Slums, only the second part. I might even watch it, because even though I didn’t really like it, it’s interesting to know what happened next with the Holy Brothers.
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