Now on to the sequel, and more specifically, the latest release - Troy Duffy’s ultimate fan service that is The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day Director’s Cut on Blu-ray. Following the events of the first film, the brothers MacManus, Connor (Patrick Sean Flanery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus), have retreated to Ireland with their Da (Billy Connolly) AKA Il Duce to lead a simple life tending sheep. Truth in fact, they look more like Jesus Christ with their long beards than they do the gun-toting vengeance killers they did before. However, the murder of a priest inside his own church in Boston draws them back out, as the deed was executed to look like their work.
On the way back to Beantown, they meet a tough Mexican named Romeo (Clifton Collins, Jr.) who is not only a huge fan of the Saints, but wants to join the club. After a bit of a proving ground, the Saints become a trio, of sorts, and they find themselves once more enmeshed in the dealings of the Yakavetta clan, more specifically, Concezio (Judd Nelson). Old cop favorites Duffy (Brian Mahoney), Greenly (Bob Marley) and Dolly (David Ferry) return once more to assist the Saints in the background, but there’s a new face in town. Smecker’s protégé, Special Agent Eunice Bloom (Julie Benz, Dexter, Defiance) is hot on the Saints’ trail… or is she? The curtain also unfurls to reveal the origin story of the boys’ father, Il Duce, and how it played out, with the introduction of a new character, The Roman (Peter Fonda). David Della Rocco returns, if only in dream sequences, to provide more insane advice and asinine but funny behavior.
As with the first film, you can expect boatloads of vulgarity, unrealistic but fun action scenes and shootouts, and even more comic relief with the introduction of Romeo. I didn’t like The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day Director’s Cut as much as I did the first, since the original just felt very fresh and uncultured, whereas the sequel just felt a little bit more Hollywood. It was still a fun watch, but it was a sequel. Troy Duffy and the cast and crew emphasize throughout the featurettes just how tough it was to get this movie made, despite the rabid fandom, and this package is chock full of love for the fans. Not only do you get to see The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day Director’s Cut in spectacular Blu-ray high-fidelity, but it sounds intense, as well, in surround sound. All of the special features included on the original release are still here, including the nearly hour long Comic-Con panel, which is awesome, since most featurettes on films at Comic-Con only include snippets. Additionally, two new lengthy special features are included, as well as the Director’s Cut of the film, which includes about 20 minutes of additional footage. These features are basically more of the same - the cast and crew cutting up behind the scenes and talking about the making of the film. Both commentaries appear on each version of the film, the first being a bunch of guys just talking smack and having fun, while the second being more focused and allowing Duffy to explain a bit more about what went into the making of the film. There's also a tribute at the beginning of the disc to the recently deceased Producer, Chris Brinker.
If you are a true fan of the Saints, you’ll want to get your hands on the additional film footage and special features, so it’s a no brainer. If you aren’t a fan, you probably won’t read this anyway.
