Please see the release calendar for releases from countries outside the US.
Writer/director (and former bartender) Troy Duffy became a cult hero when The Boondock Saints was released, a film loved by fans for its intense action sequences, witty dialog, and an unforgettable performance by Willem Dafoe. Ten years later, Duffy released the sequel to his opus – which is out on Blu-ray today – to cheers from his devoted fans and jeers from many of the critics who were underwelmed by the story. Of course, if you were expecting a deep, thought-provoking story from The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, you'd obviously never seen the original.
This is typically where I would summarize the plot of the release, but for this film, there is really no point. All you need to know is that two vengeful Irish brothers (known as "The Saints" to the adoring public) go around killing mobsters, drug pushers, and the like in the most entertaining ways possible. As long as you go into the film expecting that, you won't be disappointed.
For those of you who are familiar with the first film, there is nothing new here – that is to say, you should already know exactly what is going to happen before you even hit play. While not nearly as good as the original – the characters of Rocco and Smecker have been replaced with similar, but less engaging, characters – the film still is a lot of fun to watch.
Sony's Blu-ray presentation is also respectable; though don't expect the same level of detail and fidelity from this low budget film. Video can be distorted at times, and the audio mix is far from perfect, but for what it is, you couldn't expect any better. I'm sort of disappointed there weren't as many deleted scenes as the first title (my favorite being the phone call back to mom), but that might explain why the film felt a little long.
George Clooney's latest film Up in the Air was a critical and box office success, though you'd likely never know it. After two weeks in limited released, it went wide the same weekend that Avatar hit theaters, a move to either attract female audience who refused to see the 3D megahit or to punish director Jason Reitman for some unknown slight. Regardless, the film pulled a very respectable $83M in domestic box office receipts, a feat the Juno director is no doubt very pleased with.
In his Blu-ray review of Up in the Air, staff reviewer Martin Liebman commented, "Up in the Air itself proves an audience-friendly experience, not only because of the presence of a superstar leading man but because of its uncanny ability at meshing pure entertainment with thought-provoking elements that don't interfere with the picture's purely magical, funny, touching, and well-crafted exterior." He continued, "Paramount's Blu-ray release is itself an achievement, the 1080p picture quality classy and classic, film-like and handsome, while the lossless soundtrack is rather pedestrian by nature but nevertheless rich and satisfying in presentation."
For a complete listing of all the Blu-ray titles released today, click here.
man i've seen the boondock saints 2 trailer everytime i throw on district 9 bluray. Loved the first one and looking forward to seeing this one (would have seen itin theatres but it never played in my town)
anyone seen the documentary about the director Troy Duffy? pretty interesting and shows what a socially dysfunctional douchebag this guy is. even his friends hate him.. ..doc is called "Overnight"
I loved the first Boondock for exactly the reasons Josh explained. I saw the documentary and Tea, you nailed it. Troy is a douchebag. To me, the second one was a letdown. It had its entertaining and familiar moments, but it was very forgetful. I may check it out on BD, but a purchase would be a waste of money.
In "Overnight", you learn that Duffy signed a contract that allowed him to make money on the theatrical release but ultimately deprived him of his share on the DVD.
"The Boondock Saints" only got a limited release (he had this huge fallout with Harvey Weinstein and had to find a new distributor) but became a cult hit on DVD. So, Duffy didn't make a dime on "The Boondock Saints" and a sequel/semi-remake was the best way he found to take his share.
Boondock Saints 2 was absolutely terrible. It is honestly so bad that it makes the first movie look worse by assocation. Which is unfortunate, because the first movie was fantastic.
Duffy may be a douche, but he is a fan. That is what makes his films so entertaining. He knows what people really want to see and writes a story around that rather than write a story and figure out the action later.
I think some were disappointed because there is no evolution of the story. He tried to add some drama, but at the end of the day it's the same movie as the first. If you were looking for more, you won't find it.
Hey...what about "The Kids Are Alright"? That was due out today as well, but no mention of it here?
There is a copy waiting fro me at my front door...good old Amazon...after promising it to me by Thursday, they deliver it on the release day (ordered Saturday afternoon). God Bless Amazon PRIME!
Since when is "witty" a synonym for "moronic"? I don't remember one witty line in the whole movie. I do remember several pseudo-intellectual comments shoehorned in there (i.e. "rule of thumb"), which cause more eye-rolling than entertainment.
Picked up boondock Saint 2 last night and watched it..holy crap was a fun movie, people who call it a bad film need to take the stick out of their butts, it;s a fun revenge style flick with equal parts action and humour. It's the film that something like From Paris with love was trying to be
I'd only slighty rank it less then the first film, but i really hope we see a third one...and much sooner then 2019
Watched Boondock Saints 2 last night with 7 friends over to watch it and Everyone loved it! if you like the first one for what it was then you will love this one too!!! I'm going to watch it again tonight!
Take it at face value... a squeal that is done 10yrs later... all original cast came back and same awesome movie on a low budget! love it!
And those saying Duffy is a douche... read this first before making comments about a documentary designed to make him look that way because he sued them over the fact not a single cast/crew member got paid for the first movie and spend years in court over it suing the financial backers.
I pass this week. Nothing worthy for me to get. Next week will be busy though as I am getting The Princess and the Frog, Astroboy, Ninja Assasin, The Fourth Kind and New Moon. Can't wait.
I love The Onion A.V. club's take on Boondock Saints II:
A decade in the making, Troy Duffy’s long-threatened follow-up to his 1999 cult favorite The Boondock Saints opened to predictably apocalyptic reviews, but quietly affirmed the series’ place in the hearts of juvenile man-children with a lust for ornately stylized violence...Duffy appears to have spent the last 10 years raiding his DVD collection for ideas in lieu of developing fresh visual choices…
Really...that many paragraphs for "The Boondock Saints" films? Films few have seen and even fewer liked? Meh. "Up in the Air" was good but not worth a second viewing. "Precious" - which wasn't even mentioned in this release write-up - was brilliant.
First off, dont get me wrong. UP IN THE AIR is one THE best. Tuesday, I went to Target and picked it up for 25.99 and I get home and i get the Paramount load signal and 10 minutes later the screen goes black. Every other Blu-Ray I bought that day works (WTWTA, Zombieland, and Donnie Darko) (All 3 excellent films) I have a Samsung BD-P1950. If anyone could help please contact me @ mrmemories96@yahoo.com. thanks.
I will get Up In The Air and Precious. I have no interest in Boondock Saints II, I saw the First Boondock Saints Movie and Hated it, borring story, to much voulince, what a bore, I hated the first movie, so no to the second.
