Boondock Saints II

Just got back from seeing this movie, and it is quite enjoyable. As good as the first? No chance. This is not a movie that I'll be watching 35 more times. However, it is a good movie on its own merits.

I have to say that the undertone of homosexuality that was strong in the first one is *much* stronger in the second. This fortunately clears up about halfway through the movie and lies dormant after that. I think it'd be interesting to see if anyone tried to do a psychoanalysis on the first one, and compare their thoughts to the second.

I also think that the comment I heard before seeing this movie, that it was a movie with a lot of fan-service, is fairly accurate. There are things clearly done just because they want to give fans a thrill. Some of the scenes and characters are the same, even when you might not expect that to be possible.

The rest of this post I'll put in a different color, so that you don't have to read it if you don't want to - it's all spoiler.

There were a few disappointments in the film:

First, the opening feels extremely contrived. The Saints are in Ireland living with their dad, and have let their hair and beards grow out. They're farming sheep. Supposedly, this is the life they've had for eight years, but for some MYSTERIOUS reason, now that's not enough for them. Now, had they simply taken out this reason, perhaps the part where the priest walks in and tells them a priest in Boston was executed in their style would've been enough on its own.

It's also way too convenient that they happen to meet a Mexican fighter in some underground fighting ring that they go to for *absolutely no reason* at least that's apparent at the time. Later, it appears that this is either on the docks where they find a boat to take them to the US, or that it was somehow onboard the boat (though that seems a tad unlikely). A bit more exposition would've helped here, but the scene was only to help set up this Mexican guy who would be their new Rocco. Unfortunately, the part of Rocco was written for Rocco, and new guy can't fill it terribly well.

The rest of the movie up until Detective Greenly walks in and gets killed was pretty good and flowed together well, a few uncomfortable moments aside (Why, for instance, would an FBI agent resort to such physical violence when confronting someone who had shown no sign of intent of malice?). However, Greenly's death seems sudden and forced - perhaps as a way of showing that they're not kidding around, and he's the most comic character, so he has to die - but it was very abrupt. You never know why he showed up there and the others in their group didn't, for instance.

I also really liked the movie right up through when the Saints get arrested, and I think that's where the movie should've ended. The rest is obvious fan service, and I wonder if they are planning a third movie now. Sphere: Related Content