BLU-RAY REVIEW

Boondock Saints II, The: All Saints Day

Featured In Issue 148, May/June 2010

Picture3.5
Sound3.5
WSR Score1.5
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
3058
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
Bloody violence, language and some nudity
(Retail Price):
$34.95
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
117
(Color Type):
Color With B/W Sequences
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
A, B & C
(Theatrical Year):
2009
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
03/09/10
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Troy Duffy
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
DTS HD Lossless 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

"The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day" is the sequel to the tough, stylized saga of the MacManus brothers (Reedus and Flanery). The two have been in deep hiding with their father, Il Duce (Connolly), in the quiet valleys of Ireland, far removed from their former vigilante lives. When word comes that a beloved priest has been killed by sinister forces from deep within the mob, the brothers return to Boston to mount a violent and bloody crusade to bring justice to those responsible. (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary with Writer/Director Troy Duffy and Actors Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, and Billy Connolly; commentary with Duffy and William Dafoe; two deleted scenes (SD 02:38); a behind-the-scenes featurette (HD 25:49); Billy Connolly and Troy Duffy: Unedited (HD 09:22); the following featurettes: "The Cast Confesses: Secrets From The Set" (HD 07:13), "Inside The Vault: The Weapons" (HD 08:28), and "The Boondock Saints Hit Comic-Con" (HD 57:02); previews; movieIQ; and BD-Live functionality.

The 1080p 2.35:1 AVC picture is cinematically stylized with dramatic lighting in the production design. The color palette is, at times, pushed to distortion and at other times appears natural. Hues are nicely saturated, with strong fleshtones pushed to orange/red. Contrast is generally good with deep, solid blacks that at times appear crushed. This is true of shadow delineation, which can appear overly dark and undefined. Resolution generally appears soft, but close-ups are generally sharp and nicely defined, with finely resolved facial features and object textures. While not a knockout picture, the imagery is pleasant enough to please fans. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack features a diversified music score that drives the storytelling. The music provides the surround envelopment with, at times, atmospheric effects. But the sound is predominately frontal soundstage focused and sound effects are generally limited to the front three channels, with limited directionalized surround engagement. The music provides a strong low-frequency foundation, and bass energy in the .1 LFE channel extends deep and sounds weighty and forceful throughout. Dialogue is production-sound, along with ADR, but spatial integration is compromised and dialogue sounds forward. This is a mixed bag soundtrack that sounds jumbled, with differing styles of music that at times don't connect. (Gary Reber)