The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day

The MacManus brothers (Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus) are back in this tepid sequel that offers only brief moments of brilliance. After living a peaceful life in Ireland since the events of the first movie, the boys are forced back to Boston when a priest is murdered. At first, it looks like the son of the crime boss killed in the first film is looking for revenge—but something much more sinister is afoot. Flanery and Reedus are excellent and fall back into their roles seamlessly, but they can’t keep the film afloat, thanks to a convoluted and self-aware script. The largest misfire is Julie Benz as Agent Eunice Bloom, the successor to the first film’s Agent Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe); while the character is supposed to be sexy and interesting, she only succeeds in being an annoying and pale imitation of Defoe. Other than a fun ending and mindless action, there isn’t much to recommend here.