If you like Sons of Anarchy, you may like....

One of my all-time favorite shows is Sons of Anarchy. The characters are well developed, but all are flawed in some way. Family is important to all of them and the motorcycle club is the family they chose. The club tries to take care of their members with money-making businesses, but they walk on the wrong side of the law. They sell guns, drugs, and create pornographic movies. They all end up doing prison time, but the club bands together to make sure their wives and children are taken care of during their incarceration.

The President and Vice President of the club are stepfather, Clay, and stepson, Jax, respectively. There is a strong woman involved in it all and that is Gemma, mother to Jax and wife to Clay. There is an assortment of other characters in the club of motorcycle enthusiasts as they call themselves. An Elvis impersonator they refer to as Bobby Elvis. “Tig” is the reliable get things done guy, but he’s a bit twisted in the sexual area. “Chibs” is the Scottish member. A chib is a knife. Chibs was chosen as his nickname in reference to the Glasgow smile, cuts to the face going up from each corner of the mouth, the actor received in his youth during a mugging.

The club breaks the law when it comes to selling guns to local gangs for the Irish Republican Army, better known as the IRA. There is a chapter of Sons of Anarchy in Belfast, Ireland. All the chapters are connected, but SAMCRO is considered the head of it all. SAMCRO is an acronym that stands for Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original.

The Sons may be outlaws, but will do anything to protect their members and their families. Jax has a son named Abel who is kidnapped and given to a priest associated with the IRA. He puts Abel in an orphanage to get him a home away from the felon life of the club. Jax and a few members from California, while on probation, slip out of the country and off to Ireland to rescue Abel. They feel they are doing right by their families, but realize they cross the line.

A movie, well two movie series, along this same vein is a cult classic called The Boondock Saints and The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day. I recommend both for fans of Sons of Anarchy. The first one is an all-male cast. The main characters are twin brothers, Connor and Murphy. Their father, known in the underworld as Il Duce, has been in prison most of their lives, but he was a hitman for hire. He saw it as his calling to send the souls to the afterlife. He even prays over them before he pulls the trigger. He teaches his boys the prayer and when they’re old enough, they also feel the calling to rid the world of the worst elements, as they see it.

The first movie is mostly the brothers fighting back against a Russian gang trying to take over their local pub on St. Patrick’s Day. The brothers and others in the pub best the Russians that evening. However, the Russians hunt down the brothers to take revenge. Leaving Connor handcuffed to a toilet while taking Murphy to be executed. Connor pulls up the toilet and carries it to the balcony. He drops it on the Russian, killing him. The brothers turn themselves in and impress the detective, Paul Smecker. Il Duce is released from prison to eliminate the brothers. He doesn’t realize they are his sons and they don’t remember their father to know him when they meet. In the end of this movie, the father and sons are reunited over the prayer that only they know.

“And Shepherd’s we shall be, for thee, my Lord, for thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, that our feet may swiftly carry out Thy command. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee and teeming with souls shall it ever be.

In Nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.”

They recognize their family because of that prayer and turn on the ones who pitted them against each other. It was a huge mistake to mess with family.

The sequel begins with the brothers and their “Da” (known as Il Duce in the first movie) living in Ireland as sheep farmers. It has a strong female character named Eunice Bloom. She speaks with a Southern drawl, is always impeccably dressed, and is seemingly fearless. Special Agent Bloom is FBI, but works with the Boston Police detectives Dolly, Duffy, and Greenly to protect the brothers. The fearlessness of Special Agent Bloom reminds me of Gemma from Sons of Anarchy. Both lead their people to achieve the best outcome for them.

Similarities in the show and the movie are:

Family first

Family includes blood relatives as well as the chosen few

Breaking the law including murder

A group of police are actually helping both groups while other officers are trying to arrest them

Offensive language is prevalent

The biggest difference between the two is the movies portray the Saints as doing God’s will while the Sons know they’re sinners.

In short, I enjoyed both and recommend them to those who don’t mind a little (or a lot of) mayhem, coarse language, overt sexuality in Sons of Anarchy, and dark humor (more so in The Boondock Saints).