Shots Used in The Boondock Saints

One of my favorite movies is The Boondock Saints, which is the story of two brothers who believe that they have been given authority by God to kill the evil people of the world. The opening scene of the movie is the brothers, Connor and Murphy MacManus, attending church as the priest is speaking about evil and people doing nothing to stop evil. The opening shot of the scene is a long shot of the inside of the church, which is used as an orientation shot. The shot shows the many people that are in the church standing as they say The Lord's Prayer. It gives us limited details, but it is clear that this is a Catholic mass by the architecture of the building, the way the priest is dressed, and the huge crucifix that is hanging at the front of the church. A few shots later is a medium shot of the brothers praying as they kneel on a pew kneeler. This shot is an information shot. It shows us the main characters for the first time, and shows us that they are deeply religious. This shot also provides us with a sharp contrast between the brothers, who are kneeling in prayer and dressed in black trench coats, and the family next to them, who are sitting and dressed in their Sunday best. This shows us that there is something very different about the MacManus brothers compared to the rest of the congregation. The next shot is a close up of the brothers as they pray. This shot is a detail shot. It shows that the brothers have tattoos, as well as rosary necklaces. The shot also gives us a better view of what the brothers look like. Now the audience is absolutely sure that these are the main characters, and are beginning to learn about them.

The Boondock Saints poster