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Directed By
Troy Duffy
Written By:
Troy Duffy, Taylor Duffy
Cast:
Julie Benz, Clifton Collins Jr., Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, Judd Nelson, Billy Connolly, Peter Fonda, David Della Rocco, Bob Marley, Brian Mahoney, Daniel DeSanto, Joris Jarsky, Tom Barnett, David Ferry, Paulino Nunes, Aaron Berg, Tig Fong
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Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009)
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Movie Review by Jarrod
October 31st, 2009
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'Boondock Saints' was more or less ignored upon its initial release in 1999, but it steadily grew into a cult favorite, and sold millions on DVD; it was particularly admired by college students, who often held it in higher esteem than even Goodfellas or Pulp Fiction, and I struggled to stifle my contempt for such a view. I mean, could one seriously make such a declaration? That Boondock Saints was better than Pulp Fiction or Goodfellas? It may be a matter of personal taste or opinion, but some opinions can be wrong. Writer-director Try Duffy obviously drew inspiration from Tarantino and Scorsese, in crafting a violent vigilante flick focused on two Irish brothers who decide to clean up the streets of their Boston neighborhood by killing off all of its prominent mob figures.
Duffy, as revealed in the 2003 documentary Overnight, was formerly a bartender who got lucky enough to write a script that caught the interest of Miramax boss Harvey Weinstein. Duffy proved notoriously difficult to work with, however, and was, in many ways, an insufferable prick. However, one cannot deny his talent. Boondock Saints was actually quite good, and now Duffy has returned with a direct sequel, which is intended mostly for fans, and displays little originality, copying Scorsese and especially Tarantino far more explicitly, and focusing on delivering high-octane action sequences and elaborate shootouts.
The McManus brothers, Connor (Sean Patrick Flannery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus) are hiding out in Ireland, with Poppa M (Billy Connelly), but they return to their home turf when a priest is viciously murdered, executed in the style the McManuses are known for, and this makes them the prime suspects. This is a setup, to lure them back, so that a gangster named Yakavetta (Judd Nelson) can avenge his father, one of the McManus' victims in the first movie. Investigating the case is FBI agent Eunice Bloom (Julie Benz), a protege of Willem Dafoe's Paul Smecker.
The film is certainly entertaining, and occasionally funny, with vulgar and abrasive dialogue that incorporates ethnic slurs and an amazing combination of colorful obscenities, and rather unsubtle religious overtones. Stylish in spurts, with the eventual appearance of Peter Fonda as a mafia string-puller known as The Roman, and upon seeing and hearing Fonda, I got the feeling this role was perhaps envisioned for Christopher Walken, who could have done more with it.
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