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FBI angent Smecker is gay as to be at odds with the Boston cops. They try to make it a non-issue, but it makes the cops uncomfortable
Also the aliance between Smecker and the Brothers is unlikely because they are polar opposites. The brothers are off-the-boat
Irish, where as Smecker is a native. The Brothers are non-sexual, where Smecker is gay (a very controversial stance of
the Church.) The Brothers do what's right; Smecker does what's lawful.
The 3 Boston detectives are allusions to the 3 Stooges. Greenly is Moe: he appears to be the leader but actually has no clue
about anything. Duffy is Larry: actual brains of the group, but just lets the apparent leader pretend to be. Dolly is Currly:
pure physical comedy.
Smecker becomes less and less organized as he starts to figure out what is going on. The mental stuggle that is going on
within him takes its toll on his outward appearance. In the first crime scene he is composed and well dressed. With each
successive crime scene Smecker becomes dirtier and dirtier. After touching the bloody corpse of "the Fag Man" he scratches
his head. In the crime scene at the strip club his tie is losened and his shirt is slightly unbuttoned. At the final crime
scene his tie is falling off, his shirt is nearly unbuttoned and he explodes when he finds out about the tainted blood
samples. It all culminates with his drunken break down in the confessional where he decides to help the brothers. With his
internal struggle gone he becomes a much more normal person. Ironically as his physical appearance declines his ability to
solve crimes increases. In the first scene he simply describes what happens, yet in the final scene he is actually a part of
the crime as it occurs (he is standing there saying what happened and the events are overlayed.)
Connor and Murphy seem like twin brothers and almost the same character, but Connor is distinctly the older one in the way
that he tries to keep things under control. In the scene where Rocco comes back after killing the three guys in the
restaurant Connor is trying to calm him down, but Murphy says, "Looks like we got ourselves a new recruit." This answers the
question they ask their mom in the deleated scene: "Who came out first?"
In the scene when the brothers wake up in the holding cell water is dripping on their heads from the leaky ceiling. This
is meant to symbolize a baptism. What actually happens is not explict so here it is: They had just had the same dream, or
possibly a message from God. They look at each other and say, "Destroy that which is evil, so that which is good may
flourish." "Who ever sheds mans blood, will have his blood shed by man." Originally there was going to be a dream sequence
(which was never shot because of budget) where they learn of their mission. (Later, after the court room scene, a simlar
dream sequnece was cut for the same reason.) The next morning they are given the means to find out where the mob bosses are
going to be when a phone number comes over Ivan's pager.
The black and white scene, after killing all of the bosses in the hotel room, shows brother's lack of emotion. They are
uninterested in the violence of the act they just committed because they feel totally justified. They then become two
priests walking through the battle feild giving last-rites as they bring out their celtic-crosses. They are more interested
in sending them then saving them. The one survivor is killed as he begs for forgiveness. His begging for forgiveness is an
allusion to the theif who repents to Jesus as they hang on the cross.
In biblical terms a gate symbolizes decision making. After the infamous cat scene Rocco and the brothers have an arguement
about the difference in the number of bullets in his gun and the number of men in the room. When they get to the gate leading
to the street Rocco decides that he is going to get revenge on everyone because they set him up.
"Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here" is on he door in the Sin Bin that the stripper enters. This is the same thing that is
written on the gates to Hell in Dante's Inferno. This is meant to tell us that the girl is a prisoner of the club and is not
a truely evil person. That's why the brothers don't kill her too.
Hoag Maximum Security Prison, the place where the Duke is kept, is shaped like a crusifix. This is meant to represent the
Duke's sacrafice for the sin's of others. He is suffering on a cross because he killed a bunch of The Duke, the brother's
father, was doing exactly what Connor and Murphy are (it's genetic) by only killing mafia bosses. Augustus Distephano,the
blind man who tells Yakiavetti about the Duke, even says, "but one rule, no women; no kids." The mob bosses would call in the
Duke.
There are 3 Saints. In the bible 3 symbolizes divine perfection or entireness. This is also why the total number of Saints
never reaches over 3. Rocco dies and The Duke enters within minutes. The divine perfection is shown again and again as they
go into a room and manage to everyone without any mistakes at all. Also notice that in the fire fight with The Duke, Murphy,
Connor and Rocco remain unharmed until they split up. Although we see that the Saints do mess up when there are only 2 of
them. In the bible 2 symbolizes division or differentness. The brothers argue about the rope, the knife and where they are
going in the vent until they pull off a less than perfect assault on the room full of Russian Mobsters.
"The three shall spread their blackend wings and be the vengeful striking hammer of God" is the final line to The Duke's
prayer. Other than the fact that all three of the Saints wear black coats and turtle necks there is another relation to the
story. When Connor jumps off the top of his building the robe he is wearing looks something like wings. The white robes that
each of the brothers are wearing when they go into the police station becomes the black shirts that Rocco delivers. Their
'wings' become 'blackened.'
The Duke is representative of God, Connor is representative of Jesus on Earth, Murphy is representative of Jesus in heaven.
This is supported further by the three shots on their faces when they read the last part of the prayer. "Et nomen patri, et
feli e spiritus sancte" which, translated from latin, means "In the name of the father, son and the holy spirit." The Duke
says the first part, Connor says the second part and Murphy says the last part.