As one of the most successful "straight-to-video" releases of the last decade, Troy Duffy's The Boondock Saints (1999) suffered a lot on the long, hard road to your local Blockbuster. Originally planned as a theatrical feature (whose script was bought for a hefty sum by Harvey Weinstein, much to the delight of the 25-year-old Duffy), The Boodock Saints nearly collapsed before the film reached production. Some say it was due to Duffy's inflated ego; others say Weinstein and Miramax simply dropped the ball. One account of the film's sordid history was told in Overnight (2003), a documentary by filmmakers Mark Brian Smith and Tony Montana.

No matter whose side you're on, The Boondock Saints eventually got made and most of the cast and crew walked away happy. Sure, the theatrical release never really got off the ground---but with stars Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flannery, Norman Reedus and Billy Connolly attached, the low-budget film still ended up making plenty of waves upon its video release in 2000. Surviving a few trims to the original cut's rating of NC-17, the R-rated Boondock Saints was often compared to films like Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction for its revenge-fueled story, littered with plenty of language and violence. I liked it upon my first viewing a few years back, impressed by the film's raw energy despite enduring so many bumps along the way.

It didn't seem as impressive the second time around, and for obvious reasons: The Boondock Saints largely employs style over substance---but to be fair, it doesn't exactly hide this fact. There are other aspects (like each major character's on-screen text "introduction" and the fact that our main characters aren't very likeable) that cripple The Boondock Saints in the long run, revealing a film with a few bright spots but nothing particularly glowing. Ultimately, it's a fairly standard revenge flick, but the film's rabid cult following has proven that it's still loved by many. The Boondock Saints may not live up to your personal expectations---or repeat viewings, especially as you get older---but its rocky road to success has actually proven to be the film's saving grace.

The original DVD, a one-disc package released in 2002, was fairly hit-or-miss for its time. The non-anamorphic transfer wasn't in fantastic shape and the audio was a bit thin, but the bonus features were fairly solid, all things considered. This double-dip arrives roughly four years after the original---but like most "Unrated Special Editions", unfortunately offers a bit more bark than bite. Here's another layer of detail for the curious types:

In its original R-rated cut, The Boondock Saints ran for roughly 108 minutes. This new version, though supposedly boasting an additional minute or two of extra footage, also clocks in at just over 108. Nothing appears to have been trimmed from the film, so this may be due to shorter studio advertisements. As for what's new, several brief shots of additional gunplay and bloody bullet hits can be spotted (mostly shot in slow-motion, a la John Woo), but it's really nothing you wouldn't see in a typical R-rated action film. We've got to remember that The Boondock Saints was completed just after the Columbine murders in 1999, so the MPAA was a bit more strict than usual about the amount of gun violence that the original cut could display. That's about it, really: no new characters, no excised subplots and no full-on nudity…just a bit more action, that's all. Pound for pound, fans of The Boondock Saints should enjoy the additional footage, though it certainly doesn't make or break the overall experience.

On a related note, this double-dip also doesn't change a great deal either, save for a cleaner technical presentation and a new bonus feature or two. Overall, The Boondock Saints: Unrated Special Edition only offers a mild improvement, though you'll swear by the outer packaging that you're getting a full-blown upgrade across the board.

Stylish and generally pleasing to the eye, this 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer---a marked improvement over the original, non-anamorphic release---is very good, but not quite perfect (NOTE: this release also includes a pan-and-scan transfer on the flip side). Only a handful of scenes appear murky and dull, and there's a bit more dirt and grain than expected; overall though, most of the imperfections are likely due to the limited source material. Only a small amount of edge enhancement can be spotted, though no other major digital problems made themselves known.

Presented in a new Dolby Digital 5.1 EX mix, the audio presentation for The Boondock Saints gets the job done. There's obviously a bit of action on display, and it translates nicely with plenty of ambience and a strong dynamic range. Dialogue is clean and clear, while the disc also includes English and Spanish subtitles for the main feature only.

To be fair, there is one notable new extra, though it's back on Disc 1: a new Audio Commentary featuring actor Billy Connolly. It's actually a fairly good track, as Connolly speaks warmly about his experiences and dissects a few of the film's themes. But that's all she wrote...save for the Film Script on Disc 2, available as a DVD-ROM supplement. Overall, this is a classic example of "puffing up" a double-dip: there's really not much new material on board here, so the existing extras are simply spread around a bit. I'll admit that this 2-disc package still offers a decent platter of bonus feautures, all things considered, but it's their half-hearted presentation that really spoils the party.

It's certainly not the most elaborate double-dip in DVD history, but The Boondock Saints: Unrated Special Edition at least blesses the film with a much-needed technical upgrade. The pathetic second disc won't be of much use to those who already own the film on DVD, but those folks (and any interested parties who've held off until now) should still consider this double-dip worth the price of admission. Though I'm admittedly not a huge fan of the film, its rabid cult following should be pleased with the modest improvements made here. Mildly Recommended.