I hate this movie. Not just dislike, but hate. And trust me, this is an exclusive category. A blow-hard named Troy Duffy, who fancied himself to be much more clever than he actually is and whose knowledge of cinema stretched back only roughly ten years, decided to try his hand at a Tarantino-like action flick, except on a smaller scale. Even more pale in comparison than the budget however is the talent involved. Duffy has no skill as a screenwriter or director. For some inexplicable reason, this has gained a huge cult following among undiscriminating teenage boys who are unfamiliar with roughly sixty years of crime cinema. Hopefully the next generation sees this for the crap it is.<br /><br />Why do I hate this film? Mainly, its the most vapid attempt at aping Tarantino I've seen, and thats saying a lot. Duffy forgets that action isn't what made "Reservoir Dogs" great, but the characters and dialog. Duffy attempts to fashion quirky characters with witty dialog, but doesn't have either the intelligence or cleverness needed. So he loads the film with much violence, which becomes repetitive fast. Secondly, the gay detective character. Willem Dafoe can be amazing, but this is an alarmingly one-note portrayal (he does what he can with the horrible material). It wasn't daring for Duffy to include an non-stereotypical gay character in a mindless action flick, because the character's homosexuality is simply used to shock the audience who didn't see it coming. In my mind, its as offensive as "Boat Trip". Finally, the fan base. If this film didn't have the huge cult following, I'd just simply think this a bad film and nothing more. However, the films mindless fans seem to worship it because they're unfamiliar with the material Duffy blatantly rips off. The film was hyped up as one of the coolest action films ever made, but honestly I don't see much difference between it and the rest of the Steven Segal / Jean-Claude Van Damme direct to video crap. Instead, check out "Overnight", which is a compelling documentary that shows Duffy for the unappealing and moronic individual he is. Or better yet, just watch a Tarantino film instead. Whatever you do, avoid "The Boondock Saints". (1/10)