The brothers MacManus, Connor and Murphy, makes their way back to Boston after setting up camp in Ireland with their dad when they hear an old friend was executed in such a way that it looks like it was them. With the help of their dad and some familiar cops, along with newcomers, Eunice Bloom, Smeckler's protege, and Romeo, a Mexican Bostonian with his ear to the ground, the Saints set out for to clear their name and find justice.
As a fan of the first one, I had very low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised though. I was almost positive it would go in the same direction as most action sequels go; amp up the cheese and over-the-top action and forget about the stories and characters. This is not what happened. Sean Patrick Flannery and Norman Reedus slip back into their roles with ease. The two have really great screen chemistry. I could easily buy them as brothers the way they can be joking and having a great time one minute and with the flip a coin be at each others throats. Billy Connelly is possibly in his greatest role as Il Duce. He truly goes above and beyond what the movies deserve being one the coolest badasses in cinema. It was really nice to see the cops have a much bigger role. They offer a lot of laughs especially, Bob Marley (no, not that Bob Marley), whose stand-up is very good as well. Even the bartender with Tourettes and the Irish arms dealer make appearances. The newcomers do not offer much though. Julie Benz's Southern cowgirl, Special Agent Eunice Bloom, lacks serious personality in comparison to Willem Dafoe's very memorable performance from the first one. Romeo, played by Clifton Collins, Jr., offers limited comic relief. Just like Bloom, he lacks the same level of likeability compared with Rocco from the first installment. Fortunately, Roc makes a pretty great cameo with some pretty cool lines. Peter Fonda has also joined the cast as a man with a mysterious connection to the boys' father.
The action is definitely amped up from the original, as is the comedy. This time around though it is much more hit-or-miss than the first. There were a few cringe-worthy lines and a few jokes that just fell flat especially in the beginning that had me worried about the rest of the movie, but it progressed nicely, building enough momentum to easily move on rather than dwell on the low points.
The story is jam-packed with information, some of it just seemed futile. The flashbacks involving the history of Il Duce were very interesting and well-defined, but the linear storyline was bogged down by multiple bad guys. The mobsters were pretty plain, except for Gorgeous George, who was too corny for words. The hitman sent after the Saints suffered from serious height issues, neither funny or intriguing, it felt like a waste of space. Fonda's Roman was a far superior villain than any of them.
The ending is very............interesting. I am not sure where they are going with it, or how possible another installment is, but they certainly set up for more story, more so than the previous installments' "We continue our work" scenario.
SPOILER: A familiar face appears at the end, possibly the best kept cameo ever.
The movie has serious entertainment value. I had a lot of fun watching it, but it is still not a perfect film, far from it really. It has the intensity and charm of the action movies of the '80s, but with the 90s/00s gloss and appearance. I think fans of the original would certainly enjoy it, but those who hate the first will certainly not come around based on this flick.
7/10
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