(Released in Theaters: 11/13/2009)
The long awaited 10 year drought is over. No, I’m not talking about the last time a wrote a review either. Writer/Director Troy Duffy finally brings us his sequel to the instant cult classic The Boondock Saints with All Saints Day. But while the much anticipated film is by no means as good as the original, it still delivers big time with similar story telling and combination of action and drama with a nice touch of comedic relief from the entire cast. Though, it must be said that the absence of Willem Dafoe is felt from the film’s onset, but Sean Patrick Flannery and Norman Reedus are back as Connor and Murphy McManus and they do their best with their new sidekick Romeo, played by Clifton Collins, Jr. Picking up 8 years after the first one ended, The Boondock Saint: All Saints Day starts off with the McManus brothers and their father hiding out in the secluded, isolated and rolling hills of Ireland. After a priest is murdered and the job is set up to make it look like the brothers are responsible, they head back to the states to clear their names and settle the score with their enemy’s son Concezio Yakavetta played by Judd Nelson. So, if you liked the first one, or even if you haven’t seen it yet…you’ll definitely be entertained by this quick-witted, high octane thrill ride.
Unfortunately, it seems Troy Duffy tried way too hard to replace the irreplaceable Agent Paul Smecker, played by Willem Dafoe. He introduces the over-the-top character who’s supposed to be his protege, but does nothing more than irritate. Julie Benz as Agent Eunice Bloom, while very nice to look at, is unbearable to listen to. Her thick southern accent and and over accentuated mannerisms are nothing more than poor impersonations of the former. Sean Patrick Flannery and Norman Reedus continue their slick dialogue and charismatic gunslinger attitudes and even offer a few more jokes than in the first one. However, the surprise of the film has to be Clifton Collins Jr. When the trailer first came out I was very skeptical of the casting choice. But give it a chance and you’ll see that the ‘Rocco-replacement’ offers a nice change of pace and for both story and characters.
The first half of the film is a little rough…awkward at best. Adjusting to the new characters and the voids left by the old ones takes a little time, but once you get through it, it’s worth it. The film that seemed to be heading into “failure” is saved by the climatic, heavy weight title bout between to champion actors in Billy Connolly and Peter Fonda. The built-up tension between these two characters is great. And when they finally meet, its a Clash of the Titans-esque ending which saves the film and brings flashes of the first one’s cult classic status that everyone expected out of this one. Though the film falls way short of meeting expectations, fans of the original film will no doubt enjoy the flashy entertaining vigilante-ism of the second.
Troy Duffy is still no Quentin Tarantino!
IMDb:7.4/10
Rottentomatos: 22%
MovieWiseGuys: 7.0/10