Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus reprise their roles as Connor and Murphy MacManus. Also returning are Billy Connolly, Gerard Parkes and David Della Rocco. New additions to the cast include Julie Benz (who plays Det. Paul Smecker's protege, Eunice Bloom), Judd Nelson, Clifton Collins, Jr. and Peter Fonda. While some of the originality is definitely missing, The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day certainly holds true to form. The action is fast-paced and the dialogue is often witty and amusing, if a bit on the crude side. The story not only continues the tale of the brothers, it also delves into the past, giving the history of Poppa MacManus and how he became the feared vigilante known as Il Duce. Patrons who did not like the first one should avoid this offering like the plague, but for those fans of the MacManus brothers, the sequel does not disappoint. Without giving away too much, suffice to say that, while satisfying, the movie certainly sets up for a third installment. Let's just hope it is not ten years in the making.
Happily, The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day makes the transition to Blu-ray with a fanfare of gunfire. Not only does the movie look incredible in high definition, but the sound is phenomenal. For those with the right sound systems, prepare to enjoy a cornucopia of auditory goodness. A complaint often lamented about Blu-ray releases is the lack of included bonus features. This is yet another department where The Boondock Saints II comes up aces. There are two included commentary tracks, one with Troy Duffy, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus and Billy Connolly and one with Troy Duffy and Willem Dafoe. Only two deleted scenes are offered, but they do offer a bit of closure on two issues that are somewhat glossed over during the movie. The real highlights are the five featurettes included on the Blu-ray version of the film. The first is the obligatory behind-the-scenes interviews. Lasting nearly half an hour, this feature offers some good insight into the movie-making process and the challenges that were faced in creating a second movie. Another offering is a ten minute off-set interview with Troy Duffy and Billy Connolly, with the two just talking back and forth about their experiences with both the first and second movies. Two more short segments discuss the on-set shenanigans and relationships with the cast and the weapons from both movies respectively. The final featurette is an hour-long segment following the cast as they announce the movie release at Comic-Con 2009. All told, there are over 2 hours of bonus featurette footage, all of which fans of the movies are going to want to watch.
Fans of The Boondock Saints who did not get the opportunity to see the sequel in theaters are definitely in for a pleasant surprise. For those who did manage to see it in theaters, the Blu-ray release offers a well-valued package of extras that should appease the MacManus followers until the next installment. Without question, The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day lives up to the first offering and this disc should undoubtedly find its way into the collection of all the fans.
