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Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day
Sony Pictures // R // March 9, 2010
List Price: $27.96 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie
Sequels are often times not nearly as good as the first film in a franchise, but there have been exceptions to that rule. See Terminator 2 and The Godfather Part 2 for just a couple examples but they had something working in their favor that Boondock Saints II does not. While T2 came close; it didn't have ten full years in between the original film and the sequel. It doesn't seem to matter in this case though because Boondock Saints has built such a cult following that most fans have literally been watching it on a loop just hoping that one day a sequel would arrive. Well, it finally has and here it is for me to review. Better do it fast though because I may end up being crucified for my next statement. I've only seen the first movie once and can honestly not remember a single thing from it {braces for the hit}.
Brothers Connor and Murphy McManus (Sean Patrick Flannery and Norman Reedus) have retired to Ireland with their father Il Duce (Billy Connolly) to keep a low profile ever since killing twenty-two high profile criminals in the states. There they have grown beards and long hair while tending to the fields and sheep of their family. Back in Boston though, a killer has set out to make sure the boys come out of hiding and into the light once again. A priest was murdered in a church with pennies then laid over his eyes with the hope that the police would think the Saints were back and goad the boys out of hiding. Drawing them out and back to Boston would allow this killer to get the best of them and rid the world of them once and for all. The biggest problem this little killer faces now though is that his plan worked, and the brothers are back.
Meanwhile back in Boston, a new agent is on the prowl as Special Agent Eunice Bloom (Julie Benz) has taken over the investigation from the late Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe in the first movie). Together with some of Boston's finest; she is out to make sure exactly what is going on and if it truly is the Saints that are back or merely being called out. The boys are on their way back as she investigates and they aren't alone either. A Hispanic guy by the name of Romeo (Clifton Collins Jr.) has joined up and he proves to be a worthy ally in the fight to find out why anyone in the world would choose to call out one of the most dangerous duos in the world. There is certainly a lot to be figured out and a lot of people trying to do so, but that is also going to lead to a lot of shell casings hitting the floor at the same time plenty of bodies do.
I've heard numerous complaints from people that say this movie didn't please them because it didn't hold onto the same feel as the first one and kind of ruined the franchise. Personally that is not a subject which can be touched by me because like I said before, don't really remember much of the first movie. All Saints Day is a really great film whether you've seen the first one or haven't because it is a lot of fun no matter what anyone says. The story itself gives a good bit of background so you can catch up on what has happened and there are plenty of flashbacks so that you even get to see a bit of what went on in Boondock Saints. Once you're all caught up, the plot is rather self-explanatory as the McManus boys want to come on back to the United States for a little revenge and to make sure they don't look like punks after being called out. Simple, and it works.
There is but one real problem with All Saints Day and it is the pretty much during the first fourth or so of the movie and it is the blatant attempt at humor. A few funny lines or arguments here and there spread throughout are well worth the laughs and time spent, but the opening half an hour tries way too hard to be knee-slapping funny. At times it was almost corny to the point of eyerolling and got on my nerves. Once Connor and Murphy got to Boston though; things took on a bit more of a serious note and really got rolling with some awesome gun fights. Don't get me wrong here because humor is fine when thrown in randomly and sporadically, but attempting to make this a comedy for a while was just annoying. Trust me that one of the best gun battles is preceded by a really funny argument between the Saints on a window-washer scaffold and had me laughing hysterically.
Besides the few out of place one-liners; there is not much else to complain about with the movie and it entertained me from the start. Filled with plenty of fights, a good story, some interesting history, and even a few twists that you wouldn't expect to see. Julie Benz' accent got bothersome from time to time, but she looked good enough to bypass that. The rest of the acting was pulled off nicely and one of the best additions was Clifton Collins Jr. as Romeo. Not only did he become a vital member of the McManus clan, but he was there to provide the comedy relief as needed without having to try very hard.
The DVD
Video
Presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen format, All Saints Day comes off looking great without so much as a single problem. Colors are bright when needed although those are few and far between, but the darker color and blacks come across looking fantastic. Everything can be seen clearly without having to worry about squinting or adjusting.
All Saints Day's audio has a bit more of a problem though then the video quality does. It comes through in beautiful Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, but it is only beautiful at certain times. From the very start, I found myself having to turn the volume up rather loud just to hear the dialogue at all. That wasn't so much of a problem until the soundtrack started blaring and my hand had to reach for the remote to turn the volume way down and then back up to hear them talking. Found myself doing that a few times during the gun battles as well which called for the remote to barely leave my hand.
Plenty of subtitles available for the hearing impaired as well as those watching in other countries: English, Thai, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, and Korean. A few extra sound options are available as well in French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Thai.
Extras Extras
Audio Commentaries - There are two commentary tracks and one of them is pure nuttiness while the other is extremely informative. The first one includes director Troy Duffy sitting with stars Sean Patrick Flannery, Billy Connolly, and Norman Reedus. It's a fun track to listen to if you honestly don't want to pay attention to the movie again or learn a single thing about it. All they do is crack jokes, make fun of one another, and just have a conversation together as if they are in a bar.
Our second track is much better even though it only has Duffy by himself and he just lets forth all the information you could possibly ever want to know about Boondock Saints and the now franchise it has become. After an hour or so though; Duffy is joined by Willem Dafoe which makes the conversation get even better. I'm not one in favor of single-person commentary tracks, but Duffy pulls off the hour alone very well.
Unprecedented Access - A director's diary look at some behind-the-scenes footage and interviews that makes for a well spent half an hour. How little did I know about all that went on with this movie including putting some big time fans into scenes as extras. Nice touch. Trust me that there is a lot to see here and you need to check it out. (25:49)
Billy Connolly & Troy Duffy Unedited - Actor and director talk about their time spent working together and how things all began. It's a rather light-hearted and fun little segment that is well worth watching. Kind of makes me wish they had spent more time on it and let them tell a few more stories. (9:22)
Deleted Scenes - Only two deleted scenes here that would not have added a thing to the movie so they were rightfully left on the floor.
All Said And Done
Alright so some people may not have found it to be that good, but I'm not one of them. All Saints Day is a fantastic shoot 'em up flick with some decent comedy (when needed) and a great story that kept me intrigued throughout. A handful of nice special features makes this one a must-buy for those that love the first movie and those that have never seen it. Irish eyes smiled upon this one and made it a thrill ride that may have made a sequel into a trilogy. At least I hope so. Highly Recommended.
Danny lives in New Orleans with his dog and writes plenty in way of movies, sports, NCIS, Crime TV, and life over at Examiner, IP Movies, and Associated Content. If you're looking to keep up with all he does though, there's always Twitter or Facebook.
Sequels are often times not nearly as good as the first film in a franchise, but there have been exceptions to that rule. See Terminator 2 and The Godfather Part 2 for just a couple examples but they had something working in their favor that Boondock Saints II does not. While T2 came close; it didn't have ten full years in between the original film and the sequel. It doesn't seem to matter in this case though because Boondock Saints has built such a cult following that most fans have literally been watching it on a loop just hoping that one day a sequel would arrive. Well, it finally has and here it is for me to review. Better do it fast though because I may end up being crucified for my next statement. I've only seen the first movie once and can honestly not remember a single thing from it {braces for the hit}.
Brothers Connor and Murphy McManus (Sean Patrick Flannery and Norman Reedus) have retired to Ireland with their father Il Duce (Billy Connolly) to keep a low profile ever since killing twenty-two high profile criminals in the states. There they have grown beards and long hair while tending to the fields and sheep of their family. Back in Boston though, a killer has set out to make sure the boys come out of hiding and into the light once again. A priest was murdered in a church with pennies then laid over his eyes with the hope that the police would think the Saints were back and goad the boys out of hiding. Drawing them out and back to Boston would allow this killer to get the best of them and rid the world of them once and for all. The biggest problem this little killer faces now though is that his plan worked, and the brothers are back.
Meanwhile back in Boston, a new agent is on the prowl as Special Agent Eunice Bloom (Julie Benz) has taken over the investigation from the late Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe in the first movie). Together with some of Boston's finest; she is out to make sure exactly what is going on and if it truly is the Saints that are back or merely being called out. The boys are on their way back as she investigates and they aren't alone either. A Hispanic guy by the name of Romeo (Clifton Collins Jr.) has joined up and he proves to be a worthy ally in the fight to find out why anyone in the world would choose to call out one of the most dangerous duos in the world. There is certainly a lot to be figured out and a lot of people trying to do so, but that is also going to lead to a lot of shell casings hitting the floor at the same time plenty of bodies do.
I've heard numerous complaints from people that say this movie didn't please them because it didn't hold onto the same feel as the first one and kind of ruined the franchise. Personally that is not a subject which can be touched by me because like I said before, don't really remember much of the first movie. All Saints Day is a really great film whether you've seen the first one or haven't because it is a lot of fun no matter what anyone says. The story itself gives a good bit of background so you can catch up on what has happened and there are plenty of flashbacks so that you even get to see a bit of what went on in Boondock Saints. Once you're all caught up, the plot is rather self-explanatory as the McManus boys want to come on back to the United States for a little revenge and to make sure they don't look like punks after being called out. Simple, and it works.
There is but one real problem with All Saints Day and it is the pretty much during the first fourth or so of the movie and it is the blatant attempt at humor. A few funny lines or arguments here and there spread throughout are well worth the laughs and time spent, but the opening half an hour tries way too hard to be knee-slapping funny. At times it was almost corny to the point of eyerolling and got on my nerves. Once Connor and Murphy got to Boston though; things took on a bit more of a serious note and really got rolling with some awesome gun fights. Don't get me wrong here because humor is fine when thrown in randomly and sporadically, but attempting to make this a comedy for a while was just annoying. Trust me that one of the best gun battles is preceded by a really funny argument between the Saints on a window-washer scaffold and had me laughing hysterically.
Besides the few out of place one-liners; there is not much else to complain about with the movie and it entertained me from the start. Filled with plenty of fights, a good story, some interesting history, and even a few twists that you wouldn't expect to see. Julie Benz' accent got bothersome from time to time, but she looked good enough to bypass that. The rest of the acting was pulled off nicely and one of the best additions was Clifton Collins Jr. as Romeo. Not only did he become a vital member of the McManus clan, but he was there to provide the comedy relief as needed without having to try very hard.
The DVD
Video
Presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen format, All Saints Day comes off looking great without so much as a single problem. Colors are bright when needed although those are few and far between, but the darker color and blacks come across looking fantastic. Everything can be seen clearly without having to worry about squinting or adjusting.
All Saints Day's audio has a bit more of a problem though then the video quality does. It comes through in beautiful Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, but it is only beautiful at certain times. From the very start, I found myself having to turn the volume up rather loud just to hear the dialogue at all. That wasn't so much of a problem until the soundtrack started blaring and my hand had to reach for the remote to turn the volume way down and then back up to hear them talking. Found myself doing that a few times during the gun battles as well which called for the remote to barely leave my hand.
Plenty of subtitles available for the hearing impaired as well as those watching in other countries: English, Thai, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, and Korean. A few extra sound options are available as well in French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Thai.
Extras Extras
Audio Commentaries - There are two commentary tracks and one of them is pure nuttiness while the other is extremely informative. The first one includes director Troy Duffy sitting with stars Sean Patrick Flannery, Billy Connolly, and Norman Reedus. It's a fun track to listen to if you honestly don't want to pay attention to the movie again or learn a single thing about it. All they do is crack jokes, make fun of one another, and just have a conversation together as if they are in a bar.
Our second track is much better even though it only has Duffy by himself and he just lets forth all the information you could possibly ever want to know about Boondock Saints and the now franchise it has become. After an hour or so though; Duffy is joined by Willem Dafoe which makes the conversation get even better. I'm not one in favor of single-person commentary tracks, but Duffy pulls off the hour alone very well.
Unprecedented Access - A director's diary look at some behind-the-scenes footage and interviews that makes for a well spent half an hour. How little did I know about all that went on with this movie including putting some big time fans into scenes as extras. Nice touch. Trust me that there is a lot to see here and you need to check it out. (25:49)
Billy Connolly & Troy Duffy Unedited - Actor and director talk about their time spent working together and how things all began. It's a rather light-hearted and fun little segment that is well worth watching. Kind of makes me wish they had spent more time on it and let them tell a few more stories. (9:22)
Deleted Scenes - Only two deleted scenes here that would not have added a thing to the movie so they were rightfully left on the floor.
All Said And Done
Alright so some people may not have found it to be that good, but I'm not one of them. All Saints Day is a fantastic shoot 'em up flick with some decent comedy (when needed) and a great story that kept me intrigued throughout. A handful of nice special features makes this one a must-buy for those that love the first movie and those that have never seen it. Irish eyes smiled upon this one and made it a thrill ride that may have made a sequel into a trilogy. At least I hope so. Highly Recommended.
Danny lives in New Orleans with his dog and writes plenty in way of movies, sports, NCIS, Crime TV, and life over at Examiner, IP Movies, and Associated Content. If you're looking to keep up with all he does though, there's always Twitter or Facebook.
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