We don't expect sequels to be as fresh as their originals. However, every so often a sequel is so horrible that it pulls the entire series down with it ("Ocean's 12"? "The Crow: City of Angels"? You're also on notice). We give you: The Bondoock Saints II, All Saints Day.
Why... why did they make this movie???
The MacManus twins are back -- older, rougher (dare we say uglier). They pick up a new ethnic sidekick, who doesn't prove to be particularly competent or entertaining -- his character reminds us of the Latino cliches you might find in the WWE. Judd Nelson randomly shows up as a mafia heir. He announces there'll be cracking skulls, in case anyone forgot that he was in "The Breakfast Club". On the legal side, Willem Dafoe's flamboyantly fun FBI agent has been replaced by an annoying know-it-all, special agent Eunice Bloom. Nice attempt at breaking up the sausagefest, but she's just awful.
Bad new characters, stupid dialogue, and a nonsensical plot (frequently interrupted by dream sequences, non-linear plot explanations, and flashbacks) and this movie just doesn't work. The cool of the original is gone. In fact, we've actually decided to lower our score of the original:
This sequel made us take pause and realize that the Saints post-modern campiness may have been accidental. They just don't make slow motion shoot outs like they used to... for a reason.
A few B-role exterior shots, plus tv news updates by local sportsguy Joe Amorosino, try to make this look like a Boston film. It's not. Just like its original, this film was shot primarily in Toronto. While we locals all would have appreciated the work, maybe its best not to have our fingerprints on this one.
(Still... we hope they consider how cheap it is to film here when they inevitably make a third Boondock movie....)
Final Score = D+
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