Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day – A Movie Review
When a priest is murdered in Boston, the MacManus brothers abandon their secluded life in Ireland to look into the case. Don’t let the lack of promotion for “Boondock Saints 2” fool you. The plot picks up in Ireland where brothers Connor (Sean Patrick Flannery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus) McManus are hiding out after the events of the last movie. A priest shot in Boston, in the same style the brothers are known for, makes them the prime suspects. Writer/ director Troy Duffy is going for the old-school Charles Bronson-style vigilante movie, and achieves something pretty close to that.
Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama and Sequel; Running Time: 1 hr 27 min.; Release Date: October 30th, 2009 (limited); MPAA Rating: R for bloody violence, language and some nudity.
Starring: Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, Billy Connolly, Clifton Collins Jr., Julie Benz
Directed by: Troy Duffy
For those of us who have been cult fans of the original, it’s a film that should entertain most, if not all fans. While not perfect, it’s a very well done sequel. We watched this a couple of weeks ago.
The gun play here is even more stylized, and it makes for some very entertaining action packed scenes that should please everyone who loved the first film. Most of the old cast has returned, and then there is the new cast, who bring some entertaining acting chops with them, mostly in the form of comic relief.
Unfortunately, All Saints Day isn’t quite up to par with that first film. Where the first film had a natural flow to it, the sequel is somewhat disjointed, and the cast seems to try too hard. Julie Benz and Clifton Collins Jr. try to make up for their first films counterparts, that being Wilem Defoe and David Della Rocco respectively, but are poor substitutes. Where these characters from the first one seemed to be very natural and perfect in their element, the new cast members seem to be trying to make up for a lack of said characters, and it shows. There are also several silly and useless scenes that, while creative, are out of place and could have very well been left out of the film.
Fortunately, the end of the film is saved by a fantastic climax headed by Billy Connely and Peter Fonda. Their scene at the end is some of the best written stuff in either of the films and these veteran actors bring all their chops to this film. Adding to this is a very pleasant bit part from a Boondock Saints favorite that should leave fans smiling as they leave the theater.
Saints II is a film for the fans, that’s for sure. It may even encourage some to go see the first if they haven’t seen it already, though this isn’t all that likely. But, this is a very entertaining and decently written film that continues this great vigilante tale and may even lead to more. As fans, we can only hope to see more of the Saints in the future.
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