Retribution as a Form of Justice
Welsh, Flemming, and Dowler (2011) examine the various models of justice depicted in films. The retribution model (which some might argue is found in the "eye for an eye" reference of the Old Testament) perceives crime, as a form of evil, needing to be punished. The concepts of retribution and vengeance are identified as "dominant crime and justice themes" in film. In this vein good people, like the McManus brothers, are transformed from law abiding citizens to "vigilante crusaders". In "The Boondock Saints", the brothers moral authority to take justice into their own hands comes directly from God. In this way they act like the figures from the Old Testament who are justified to use violence , for example, Joshua's destruction of Jericho. But in the case of the brothers, their cause was to use violence to solve social problems like crime and corruption.