'Saints' marches weakly into disappointing sequel

by Jase Howell

It has taken director Troy Duffy 10 years to complete the sequel to his debut film, an exorbitant stretch unless you’re George Lucas, whom Duffy could not be confused with on any level.

“Boondock Saints” (1999) was supposed to launch Duffy’s career as the next director in the Tarantino/ Ritchie/Rodriguez category, and the film drew a large cult following with its straight-to-DVD release, prompting a couple of independent studios to pony up for a sequel that was supposed to arrive several years ago. Apparently, Murphy thought he was working with the “Godfather” trilogy.

For those not acquainted with the original, “Boondock Saints” found our Irish “saint” brothers Connor and Murphy MacManus (Sean Patrick Flannery and Norman Reedus, respectively) wreaking havoc on the criminals of the Boston area. They managed to wipe out both the Italian Mafias with silenced-9-millimeter handguns and execution prayers.

Left behind in the aftermath was Concezio Yakavetta (Judd Nelson), the son of a slain boss whose only wish is to draw the saints back from their refuge in Ireland. It is on his vendetta “Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day” is based. Murdering a priest in MacManus brothers’ fashion turns out to be the ticket. Yakavetta’s ploy attracts the brothers’ attention and the city at large, including several detectives that aided them. It also attracts the feds, principally special agent Eunice Bloom (Julie Benz), a lightsout investigator only brought in under special circumstances, ala Willem Dafoe’s character from the original. The MacManus brothers are busy trying to slide back into the country and pick up their old game, this time with the help of Romeo (Clifton Collins Jr.), who claims to have connections all over the area.

The first film had a fresh feel laced with bullets blazing everywhere, comic book-style villains and our hero saints. The sequel tries to play the same tune, only it plays it too much the same. It’s been awhile since I have seen a filmmaker so blatantly remake his own work and pass it off as something original. The director is obviously under the pretense that if he stylishly frames enough action scenes with trendy music and loud sound effects, it will deter the viewer from noticing the gaping holes in the plot and the unoriginal concept.

The screenplay (also Duffy’s) is filled with dialogue that could have been written by a foul-mouthed high school sophomore. This is particularly painful because we are treated to several extended exchanges that are supposed to be out-of-the-box gangster-style humor, but none of them really work — in fact, they are bad enough to seriously suggest Duffy take a screenwriting course or two. The script doesn’t really give the actors much of a chance for success in a film so lacking in depth. This is film that in which Peter Fonda appears, but it’s difficult to notice because Duffy has no idea what to do with him. Benz and Billy Connoly, who portrays the brothers’ father, probably stand out the most, but it’s a struggle for both of them to not drown in this shallow pool.

It’s amazing to think it took Troy Duffy a decade to concoct this mess of wasted talent especially considering he had no projects in between the two films. Apparently it takes quite a length of time to develop a film with no originality, but filled with gunfire and the f-word in every other sentence. If that is your style of movie, this man is your maestro.

This is part of the November 19, 2009 online edition of The Reporter.

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