The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day Reviews

"Peace, they say, is the enemy of memory. So it had been for my boys. For some time now, their past had felt like a dream. Then, suddenly, it was back."

A full decade after The Boondock Saints was unceremoniously dumped in a total of five cinemas Americawide, writer-director Troy Duffy has at long last pulled together The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day; the long-shot sequel that fans of the original yearned for but never thought they'd ever see. For the uninitiated, here's everything you need to know: 1999's The Boondock Saints is a textbook example of a cult classic. After flopping in theatres, it headed straight to video where it garnered legions of fans and grossed about $50 million in domestic video sales. Thanks to these strong numbers, this sequel eventually became a reality. Thankfully, there's no doubt those who enjoyed the original film will embrace this follow-up, as all the elements that made the original so popular are carried over into the sequel: there's the gratuitous, techno-scored violence, the incredibly quotable, hilarious dialogue, and the self-righteous vigilante attitudes. Heck, the sequel even recaptured the reception of the original film: audiences generally enjoyed it, while critics bashed it severely.

The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day focuses on the titular Saints: Murphy (Reedus) and Connor (Flanery) MacManus. Ever since publically executing a mob boss, the brothers have been living on a sheep farm in isolated Ireland with their father (Connolly). However, they leap into action when word reaches them that a Boston priest has been killed using the Saints' trademark execution style. Though the brothers know the murder is meant to draw them out of hiding, they're all too happy to oblige the killer and dish out vengeful justice in return. During the journey back to Boston, they encounter a Mexican-American named Romeo (Collins Jr.) who adores the work of the brothers, and is made part of their entourage. Meanwhile, FBI agent Eunice Bloom (Benz), the protégé of the first film's Paul Smecker (played by Willem Dafoe), is on the trail of the brothers.

In short, The Boondock Saints II is a sequel that's strictly for the fans of the first film - in fact, it's one big valentine and a thanks to all those who contributed to its cult success. This movie does not need to (or seem to want to) appeal to anyone else, since you must have seen the original in order to follow Part 2 anyway. Fortunately, Duffy gives his fans exactly what they crave here, and then some. He even adheres to a structure that's virtually identical to its predecessor, with the crime scenes being shown after the killings have taken place before someone steps in to begin theorising how it all went down.

The one big problem with this film is that, despite a few twists and revelations, The Boondock Saints II is almost a remake of its predecessor, right down to the structure and supporting characters (with Julie Benz as an FBI agent similar to Willem Dafoe, and Collins Jr.'s performance as Romeo clearly paralleling the original's Rocco). The dialogue, while still sparkling and bursting with one-liners, does not contain any exchanges as memorable as the best moments of the first film, and there are lags in pace due to this. Most of these flaws, however, are skilfully masked by Troy Duffy's great eye for action. He may have shown an ugly side to his personality in the documentary Overnight, but the rousing, exciting shootouts are handled with an adept touch by the filmmaker. The Boondock Saints II is especially well-crafted and looks great, with accomplished cinematography and eye-catching visuals. The climax in particular is a humdinger. The only problem with the shootouts, however, is the distinct lack of realism. The hook is that the Saints plan to execute mobsters in scenarios gleaned from movies and they have trouble replicating said scenarios in the real world, but - for all this realistic insistency - the boys rarely run out of ammo and seem to be bulletproof.

Both Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery are terrific as the MacManus brothers. The two bounce off each other hysterically, and it's impressive the way the two are able to shift between humour and drama. The onscreen relationship is incredibly entertaining, and the two clearly having fun translates well for the audience. It's also great to see Billy Connolly making his return, as he plays off the boys quite amusingly.
Astonishingly, virtually every member of the cast of the original film returns here, along with a few newcomers that add a little fun to the proceedings. Julie Benz clearly relished the chance to play the role of Eunice Bloom and she's fun to watch, but she doesn't convey the necessary quirkiness to make the oddball investigator role as great as Willem Dafoe's work. Playing Romeo, Clifton Collins Jr. adds another colourful character to his cinematic repertoire. He's very entertaining, though not as brilliant as David Della Rocco's performance in the first film.

To be sure, The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day is not as good as its predecessor, but Duffy has successfully replicated the spirit of the original film; a feat not many sequels can achieve. Taken on its own merits, this is a well-crafted, well-written, quirky action-comedy imbued with a dark sense of humour that's buoyed by endearing performances from the two leads. It's not perfect due to its derivative and at times juvenile nature, but I know a fun movie when I experience one, and this is one of the most devilishly enjoyable motion pictures of 2009.

8.1/10

The MacManus brothers have been living on small farm in Ireland when they get news that their beloved priest Father McKinney has been killed in their trademark style. The boys decide it is their time to return to Boston and seek vengeance on those who framed them. With the help of Romeo they are back at their old habits in no time, seeking justice and doing what the police seem to be unable to do.

Noah 'Il Duce' MacManus: Peace, they say, is the enemy of memory. So it had been for my boys. For some time now, their past had felt like a dream. Then, suddenly, it was back.

Troy Duffy’s original film was a masterpiece, it has originality, it had flare, it had comedy and it had good acting. I will admit being a huge fan of the first film I was sceptical when they announced a sequel. I was curious as to how they could create a new story since the brothers left Boston. Then as news broke about this film and a trailer was revealed it looked decent, still though the one question remained how could they bring back all the old characters and make it all work, how could they live up to the legendary status of the first flick. What Duffy did this time was he focused more on the humour from the beginning. Romeo was supposed to come in and be the comic relief as well as the cops being drawn into Eunice’s quirks.

Rocco: Theres two kinds of people in this world when you boil it all down. You got your talkers and you got your doers. Most people are just talkers, all they do is talk. but when it is all said and done, it's the doers that change this world. and when they do that, they change us, and that's why we never forget them. so which one are you? do you just talk about it, or do you stand up and do something about it? because believe you me, all the rest of it is just coffee house and bullshit.

There were two major things missing in this film, one being Rocco who was perhaps the best character in the first film. He makes an appearance through a dream sequence but that does not seem to cut it. The second notable factor is Willem Dafoe has been replaced by Julie Benz (who ultimately tries too hard to have the same mannerisms as Smecker did in the first film). As much as the new additions may have not lived up to the first film, the three cops were back, and Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus and Billy Connolly all reprised their roles in this film. Had any of those three been replaced or left out, any real fan would have passed on this film. But let me make one thing perfectly clear, I don’t want another Boondock Saints film. These two stand as something unique and special on their own, and to create a franchise would ruin the cult classic many have come to love over the years. The ending revelation was a bit of a letdown, it is not how people expect the Saints to be viewed, however Duffy still needed a sufficient way of possibly ending his series.

Connor MacManus: You ready for this shit, my dear brother?
Murphy MacManus: Let's do some gratuitous violence.

The MacManus brothers may have a flare for going all out during the execution scenes, there may be those unbelievable action scenes where they manage to pull through and no one else does. Still there is something real about the religious beliefs of these characters. It struck me back when I watched the first one, that even though they are doing gratuitous violence they are executing those who are in the wrong. The MacManus brothers don’t execute good people, they go for those who have killed, and who are cold and ruthless.

The Boondock Saints remains one of the purely original series I have seen. In a time where people have difficulty coming up with plots and original stories, Troy Duffy doesn’t seem to have an issue with plot ideas. At the end of the day this film falls short of its predecessor while still managing to be an entertaining film. There has been plenty of hate on the internet for this film. Yes it is over the top, yes there is tons of violence, but remember folks these characters aren’t your average do it by the books type characters, and my advice is if you weren’t entirely pleased with the original this one won’t do it for you either. Skip this one if you found the original ok, and only watch this one if you the original is on your favourites list.

The long awaited sequel to the infamous Boondock Saints; in which all your favorite characters (especially the Irish family or Assassins) return to the screen. Their M.O. has been brought back to their old town of Boston when a priest gets killed brutally in his own church. Now, in order to clear their name and seek revenge on the ones responsible for that death, the two brothers head back to the States with nothing but revenge on their minds, and death to those who planned the setup. With the help of the pair’s 3 favorite detectives, plus a new special agent who insists one her way being the right way, the brothers stay out of jail and avoid the long arm of the law to keep the city of Boston safe by eliminating the criminals eating away at that very city. Also introduced is a new character who replaces the funny man (though HE makes his way into the film as a drinking buddy) who tags along and helps the two carry out their deeds. Not only was this movie one of my 3 favorite films put out this year, but it was one of my favorite sequels ever; up there with Basket Case 2 and Escape from L.A. Not one real bit of slow boring time filled with dialogue, and I could see myself seeing this in theaters one more time, at least. Though there was some gun crazy shoot scenes throughout, there was also a touch of how plans don’t always get mastered and the classic “come in shooting” scene doesn’t work perfectly; even in movies. Glad to see yet another film to have an equal second installment that strengthens both films, the first as something to break grounds of theater look back on, and the second to show after 8 years the director’s still got the same talent and could take the story that much further with success.

Connor MacManus: You ready for this shit, my dear brother?
Murphy MacManus: Let's do some gratuitous violence.