The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, released in 2009, serves as a sequel to the 1999 film The Boondock Saints. The storyline picks up eight years after the events of the first film when the MacManus brothers, Connor (played by Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy (played by Norman Reedus), along with their father, Noah (played by Billy Connolly), are living a quiet life in Ireland. Their tranquility is disrupted by the news of a beloved priest in Boston who has been murdered by mob forces.
Motivated by their desire for justice and to avenge the priest’s death, the brothers return to Boston. They find themselves facing not only the mob but also a law enforcement response that threatens to charge them with the priest’s murder. As they embark on their quest, they encounter various characters who assist or oppose them, leading to intense action and moral dilemmas throughout their vigilante mission.
Review by Ben Dover:
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009) – 1 Overacted Hail Mary
Well, butter my backside and call me a Benedictine monk! Just when I thought the cinematic hellscape known as “The Boondock Saints” couldn’t get any worse, along comes this sequel to prove that lightning can indeed strike the same idiotic premise twice.
If you loved the first Boondock Saints movie for its over-the-top violence, self-consciously cool dialogue, and macho posturing, then boy howdy, does writer/director Troy Duffy have a treat for you! The MacManus brothers are back, and this time they’re taking no prisoners (well, maybe a few so they can dramatically execute them later). Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus reprise their roles as the self-styled vigilante saints, mugging for the camera like a pair of drunken frat boys at a costume party.
This time, the boys are lured out of their quiet, self-imposed exile in Ireland (because apparently, even Ireland isn’t safe from their brand of moronic justice) to investigate the murder of their dear old priest friend , with pennies on his eyes – their signature move! Faster than you can say “gratuitous violence,” the lads are back in the States, ready to mete out some vengeful justice. Cue the slow-motion violence, over-the-top monologuing, and enough ham-fisted Catholicism to make the Pope himself reach for the Pepto-Bismol.
The plot, if you can call it that, meanders around like a drunk trying to find their car in a parking lot. It’s an excuse to string together a series of action sequences that are about as exciting as watching paint dry on a cross. And the less said about the painfully unfunny attempts at humor, the better.
The supporting cast fares no better, the usually reliable Billy Connolly can’t save this flaming dumpster fire with his turn as the brothers’ equally unhinged father. Along for the ride is their new sidekick Romeo (Clifton Collins Jr.), a Mexican wannabe thug. And let’s not forget the mysterious FBI agent Eunice Bloom (Julie Benz), who’s “a Whitesnake song away from sprawling on the hood of a sports car” with her sexy Southern belle schtick. I almost stopped watching when there was a recreation scene where she just keeps making a cop stare at her kitty. Uncomfortable to say the least.
The action, once again, is more cartoonish than a Warner Bros. marathon. Guns blazing, bodies flying, and enough blood spatter to make a crime scene investigator weep. It’s like the director took a sledgehammer to the subtlety meter and called it a day.
Is there anything remotely redeeming about this sequel? Well, the music is still pretty decent, I suppose. And if you’re in the mood for some good old-fashioned, brain-dead action, I guess it could scratch that itch. But beyond that, “The Boondock Saints II” is about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.
This movie is the cinematic equivalent of a rabid chihuahua yapping at your heels – loud, obnoxious, and ultimately harmless. It’s the kind of film that makes me yearn for the intellectual depth of an Adam Sandler comedy. At least those are intentionally stupid.
Sure, the racial jokes are hit-and-miss, the accents are questionable (I’m looking at you, Julie Benz), and the “cool guy” dialogue feels straight out of a 1990s indie film. But hey, this movie knows its audience. It’s a love letter to fans who’ve been waiting a decade for more Boondock Saints action.
So, unless you’re a die-hard fanboy with a masochistic streak, or you’re looking for the perfect drinking game to end up in the ER, give “The Boondock Saints II” a wide berth. Your brain cells will thank you. And maybe even your immortal soul.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go say a few Hail Mary’s and pray I can unsee the unholy mess I just witnessed. Maybe I’ll even throw in a couple of “Our Fathers” for good measure. Lord knows, someone needs to forgive the poor souls responsible for this travesty.
Notes:
Rating: R
Runtime: 1 hour 58 minutes
Gross worldwide: $10,629,321
Budget: $8,000,000 (estimated)
More of the same maybe a little funnier dialogue than the first, overall just still what it is.
Despite its limited release, this movie made more money in its opening weekend than the entire box-office run of The Boondock Saints (1999).
Versions of the “f” word were only used one hundred thirty-six times in this movie, as opposed to two hundred forty-six times in The Boondock Saints (1999)
For an example of how little thought went into this film, look no further than the very beginning of the movie when the boys and their father are in the cottage seated for dinner a bottle of Bushmills Irish Whiskey can be seen on the table. Although Bushmills is one of the oldest whiskeys in the world it is made in Northern Ireland and no self respecting Irish Catholic from the Republic (like the brothers) would drink Bushmills, instead they would be drinking Jamesons which is made in Dublin. Sad, Also there are no fucking wolves in Ireland.
The Boondock Saints (1999) had a body count of thirty-three, while this movie has a body count of fifty-nine.
Quotes:
Eunice: Well, since we’ve already broken the fuck barrier, allow me to be blunt. It is because I’m so fucking smart that I make smart people feel like they are retarded.
Noah ‘Il Duce’ MacManus: Someone’s trying to call them out. You kill a priest. In a church. And make it look like it was them. Bring them back with a vengeance. Someone thinks it’s really clever. Only one problem with this little plan.
Father Sibeal MacManus: What’s that?
Noah ‘Il Duce’ MacManus: It worked.
Romeo: Why can’t I help you guys? It’s because I’m a Mexican, ain’t it?
Connor MacManus: How dare you, sir, you insinuate such a thing! The fact that you’re a greasy spic has nothing to do with it.
Critics Consensus:
Critics 22% Audience 58% Rotten Tomatoes
This sequel to the cult favorite The Boondock Saints is more of the same — unoriginal, absurd, violent, over-the-top, and occasionally mean-spirited.
Trailer:
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