This review is a little late in coming, I realize this, and I do not care that much. I went to New York City to see Boondock Saint's II: All Saint's Day. This was the first time that I had seen a movie in this large a setting, and this large a theater (Regal Cinemas in the Mall now has showings). It certainly enhanced the movie viewing experience, there was great applause for various parts of the movie. So with that in mind, here is my review.
Boondock Saints II: All Saint's Day was an enjoyable movie. I went in to the theater with lowered expectations, I told myself that it would probably not be as much fun as the original. I was pleasantly surprised. It was better, and more enjoyable than I expected.
The story begins with the MacManus family in their homeland of Ireland. The father Noah (Billy Connolly) and his two sons Connor (Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus) are in hiding, their rowdy past long behind them. They become called back to America after the murder of a priest was made to look like their work. On the boat ride over they meet a Mexican fighter by the name of Romeo (Clifton Collins Jr.) who joins the brothers in their cause. Meanwhile, Detectives Greenly, Duffy, and Dolly return to investigate the murder or the priest and the murders that follow. They are joined by Eunice Bloom (Julie Benz) who is the protege of Paul Smecker. The story unfolds revealing that someone is trying to lure the boys and their father out from hiding. The mystery of who is really behind this keeps everyone guessing. There are several surprises at the end. Fans will definitely love the ways it ends.
This movie behaves a lot like a typical sequel. It borrows more from the original, instead of building off of the original. The camera gimmicks and tricks are still really cool, but they're not very original anymore. The story had a very similar flow to the original. Side characters were introduced at similar points, certain events played out the same way. For all of that though this movie did some good things. The comedy was very good. It had some very funny moments; Clifton Collins Jr. was hilarious and the Detectives had some good scenes too. The action was good, but it didn't do anything different from the original. The movie feels new because of some new characters and a new situation. Overall, it could have been done better. The story was a little flimsy and the pacing felt slightly rushed.
With all that aside, I enjoyed it a lot. It was Boondock Saints. The action was there, with the investigators playing a part in the slow motion recap of a mini-massacre. Even if it's not original, it was still cool. The comedy was great, the dialogue was clever and quick. The brothers bicker, the detectives worry, the federal investigator outwits them all, and Billy Connolly is still awesome. The big twist at the end solidified it for me, as a fan of the original. I will definitely be buying it on DVD. Will I watch it as many times as I did the original? No, but I will still enjoy it.
As it's own movie, Boondock Saints II: All Saint's Day has very little, but as a sequel it does a pretty good job.
2.5/5
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