Line #13 Trivia/TheBoondockSaints


1	* BillingDisplacement:
2	** Creator/WillemDafoe is ''not'' the main character of the first film, despite what the poster in the main page may tell you.
3	** Creator/PeterFonda doesn't appear until the last 20 minutes of ''All Saint's Day'', yet still got billed over Creator/BillyConnolly (Il Duce [[spoiler:and the father of Connor and Murphy]]).
4	* BoxOfficeBomb: Both films:
5	** First film: Budget - $6 million. Box Office - $30,471.
6	** Slightly Downplayed with the second film: Budget - $8 million. Box Office - $10.6 million. It broke even but not enough success to call it a hit.
7	* CaliforniaDoubling: Both films are set in Boston, but, apart from the flyover establishing shots, were filmed in Toronto. The CN Tower and Toronto Dominion bank locations can be seen in various shots.
8	** In a more specific example, the church scene at the start of the first film was shot in an Anglican Church rather than a Catholic Church, due to the producers being unable to convince any Catholic diocese to allow them to film on their property. The Anglican traditions are considered [[ChristianityIsCatholic about as close to Catholicism as non-Catholic Christian churches get]], but you can still spot a few differences in the service as shown.
9	* ChannelHop: The movie was ''supposed'' to be released by Creator/{{Miramax\|Films}}, as Harvey Weinstein took interest in the script (as rumors state, anyway; as some say he ''didn't even read the script'', just that it was hot property) and even offered extensive goods to Duffy such as buying a bar Duffy worked at, to even allowing Duffy's band The Brood to have a record deal to do the film's soundtrack. Unfortunately, due to Duffy's infamous [[SmallNameBigEgo ego]], all of these plans collapsed and the film was instead given to Franchise Pictures.
10	* CompletelyDifferentTitle:
11	** Spanish countries: ''The Saints of Hell''
12	** Germany: ''The Bloody Path of God''
13	** Japan: ''Executioners''
14	** Brazil: ''Punisher Saints''
15	** Canada: ''Mission from God''
16	** Croatia: ''Saints Against the Mafia''
17	** Czech Republic: ''Blood Brothers''
18	** France: ''Boston Angels''
19	** Greece: ''Exterminator Saints''
20	** Hungary: ''Brotherhood''
21	** Slovenia: ''Dirty Saint''
22	** Spain: ''The Chosen Ones''
23	** Argentina: ''The Fifth Hell''
24	** Taiwan: ''Vanguard''
25	** Turkey: ''Saints of the City''
26	* TheDanza: Carmine [=DiStephano=] plays Augustus [=DiStephano=], a retired mob boss. Also, David Della Rocco is played by none other than a man named David Della Rocco.
27	* DawsonCasting: A rather bizarre example in that, in the sequel, Creator/JuddNelson plays the son of the BigBad of the first film, played by Carlo Rota, when Nelson is actually a year and a half older than Rota (Nelson was born on 1959 and Rota was born on 1961).
28	* DeletedRole: Janet Wright had a small role as Connor and Murphy's eccentric mother who calls them from Ireland (jokingly) threatening to kill herself. The scene was cut from the final film, but can be seen on Blu-ray, DVD.
29	* DevelopmentHell: The second film took ''ten years'' to make due to a lack of funding and Troy Duffy's ego. The third film, thus far, seems to be in the same position. Duffy has said if negotiations go through, the story may be continued in a TV series, but the progress seems to be going slowly (the sequel not being anywhere near the cult favorite the original was hasn't helped).
30	* DistancedFromCurrentEvents: The film had a delayed release and was heavily restricted by MPAA after the UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} shootings because of the violent content
31	* EnforcedMethodActing:
32	** Apparently, Creator/BillyConnolly was so stoked to be PlayingAgainstType so radically in the role of Il Duce and having so much fun playing a psycho with guns strapped all over him that they had to add the huge cigar the character constantly smokes because unless they stuck something in his mouth he simply couldn't stop smiling.
33	** During the famous "cat scene", Rocco was told that the prop mechanism meant to simulate the gunshot and subsequent spraying of liquid cat (nicknamed the "Cat Cannon") wouldn't be very loud, when in fact it was practically as loud as a full-powered gunshot. As a result, when it goes off, the scene of the trio getting practically ''thrown'' onto the floor and the subsequent discombobulated panicking was genuine.
34	* FakeAmerican: The film was shot in Toronto, and most of the supporting parts are played by Canadian actors.
35	* FakeIrish: Needless to say, Creator/BillyConnolly is not actually Irish. Neither are the actors playing his sons, though Sean Patrick Flanery does have Irish ancestry.
36	* FakeRussian: Fat Man (Yuri Petrova) is the only Russian played by an actual Russian.
37	* TheForeignSubtitle:
38	** Finland: ''The Boondock Saints: Angels of Southern Boston''
39	** Italy: ''The Boondock Saints: Final Justice''
40	* InspirationForTheWork: Troy Duffy was inspired by his disgust at seeing a drug dealer taking money from a corpse across the hall from his apartment.
41	* InvisibleAdvertising: The film was all ready to be released, but unfortunate timing meant it had to be released quietly. The second movie was set up this way at first, but positive reception among the fans gave it two wider releases.
42	* OrphanedReference: When the [=McManus=] brothers arrive to whack Vincenzo, they tell Rocco to hold off on shooting another random lowlife in a separate stall and let them do the deed, implying that ItsPersonal for them. In the script, the lowlife was a pimp who had previously roughed up an innocent nun (the one we see bruised and bloodied in the hospital), and the brothers caught sight of him entering the peep show behind Vincenzo.
43	* ProductionPosse: Creator/BillyConnolly (Il Duce) and Gerard Parkes (Doc) both previously worked on ''Franchise/TheMuppets'' franchise. Connolly was Billy Bones in ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland'', and Gerard Parkes was [[ActorAllusion a different Doc]] in ''Series/FraggleRock''.
44	* PlayingAgainstType: Il Duce, the [[TheStoic stone-cold]] veteran [[HitmanWithAHeart hitman]], is played by ''Creator/BillyConnolly'' of all people. He's done serious roles before, but not like ''this.''
45	* ScullyBox: In order to appear taller on screen, Creator/WillemDafoe wore platform shoes during filming. This is especially noticeable at his first appearance, when he crouches down near the body in the alleyway.
46	* TroubledProduction: The film became an indie CultClassic, but the abusive behavior of writer/director Troy Duffy while making it demolished his short-lived fame, burned his bridges to Hollywood, and alienated his friends.
47	** Despite having no filmmaking education or experience, Duffy's script for ''The Boondock Saints'' ignited a bidding war and got the attention of Harvey Weinstein and Creator/{{Miramax}}, who won out by agreeing to pay $300,000 for the script and $15 million for the budget, letting Duffy direct and his band ''The Brood'' provide the soundtrack, and even buying out the bar Duffy worked at to make him a co-owner.
48	** Duffy wasted no time allowing his good fortune to go to his head. Signed on to the William Morris agency and convinced he was now a major player in Hollywood, he enlisted two friends of his, [[Film/Scarface1983 Tony Montana]] and Mark Brian Smith, to shoot documentary footage of his rise to power and manage ''The Brood'' in his absence. But Duffy's boorish behavior -- which included insulting various actors and producers, spending his time drinking and partying in bars, and attending meetings hungover in his overalls -- rapidly deteriorated the relationship between Duffy and Miramax.
49	** Pre-production stalled out over casting choices and Duffy lost patience, threatening to walk to a different agency. This was one of the last straws that prompted the studio to cut all contact from Duffy and put the film in [[DevelopmentHell turnaround]]. Duffy also heard rumors that he was placed on Harvey Weinstein's infamous "blacklist", which would effectively cut him out of Hollywood entirely. Enraged and scrambling for someone to back the film, Duffy eventually found financing in Franchise Pictures, who offered to provide a budget of $6 million for the film. Despite the slashed budget compared to Miramax, Duffy was elated and took the deal, beginning full production and shooting in Toronto in 1998. Despite the chaos that had marked the film up to this point, shooting was largely uneventful by comparison.
50	** Then came distribution efforts. Attempts to shop the film around at the 1999 Cannes Festival proved fruitless, with no offers made for the film. Smith and Montana blamed Weinstein's influence for pushing studios away, but equally likely that the backlash against violent media from the {{UsefulNotes/Columbine}} shooting three weeks prior made studios unwilling to pick it up. The film was eventually picked up by Blockbuster, whom gave it a limited release in ''five theaters'' due to the lingering effects of Columbine. The film itself was a BoxOfficeBomb that was slaughtered by critics, making only $30,471.
51	** As one last insult, Duffy saw nothing from the exceptional home video sales of the film. The contract he had signed cut him, the producers, and the cast out of all royalties and home video revenue. Duffy eventually won back royalties after a long legal battle and made a sequel ten years later, but lost his bar, his band[[note]]which managed to release one album around the first film's release that sold a paltry ''690 copies''. They were dropped by their label and promptly disbanded, with Duffy viciously refusing to give his band members royalties when asked[[/note]], and his friends Smith and Montana would use their footage to make the documentary film ''Overnight'', chronicling Duffy's actions during the production.
52	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
53	** Creator/MarkWahlberg turned down one of the lead roles in order to star in ''Film/BoogieNights''.
54	** Troy Duffy expressed interest in casting Creator/StephenDorff, Creator/BrendanFraser, Nicky Katt, and Creator/EwanMcGregor, with two of them as the brothers, but no decisions were finalized. Duffy flew to New York to meet with [=McGregor=] and offer him one of the lead roles. At a night out, Duffy got drunk and they got into an argument over the death penalty and [=McGregor=] passed on the film. This led to Miramax putting the film in turnaround.
55	** Creator/KennethBranagh, Creator/RobertDeNiro, Creator/KevinSpacey and Creator/PatrickSwayze passed on the role of Paul Smecker. Also considered were Creator/BillMurray, Creator/MikeMyers and Creator/SylvesterStallone.
56	** Troy Duffy dismissed several casting choices for the film — he refused to meet with Creator/BradPitt because he'd already played an Irishman in ''Film/TheDevilsOwn'' and rejected Creator/KeanuReeves and Creator/EthanHawke, calling the former "a fucking punk" and the latter "a talentless fool".
57	** A video game was supposed to be made based on the film, but was later cancelled.

Context Trivia / TheBoondockSaints