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Rise of the Footsoldier: Part II
Movie:![2 Stars :2stars: :2stars:](/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/2_stars.png)
Video:![4 Stars :4stars: :4stars:](/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/4_stars.png)
Audio:![3.5 Stars :3.5stars: :3.5stars:](/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/3.5_stars.png)
Extras:![1.5 Stars :1.5stars: :1.5stars:](/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/1.5_stars.png)
Final Score:
Movie:
![2 Stars :2stars: :2stars:](/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/2_stars.png)
Video:
![4 Stars :4stars: :4stars:](/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/4_stars.png)
Audio:
![3.5 Stars :3.5stars: :3.5stars:](/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/3.5_stars.png)
Extras:
![1.5 Stars :1.5stars: :1.5stars:](/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/1.5_stars.png)
Final Score:
![3 Stars :3stars: :3stars:](/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/3_stars.png)
Despite flopping quite badly in British cinemas back in 2007, Julian Gilbey’s cockney crime thriller Rise of the Footsoldier gained a pretty hefty following on DVD. As such, when a cheaply shot film like that garners a sort of cult following, a sequel is BOUND to happen. Rise of the Footsoldier: Part II was actually created and released to limited theaters back in 2015, but took nearly 3 years to actually make it to a home video release, which should tell you something right there. The film has a sort of sleazy, smarmy, hero worship to it, as it idolizes (at times) the seedy underbelly of England as we’re empathizing and justifying the actions of ACTUAL street criminals. The film is drastically inferior to the original, even though it has Ricci Harnett back as the lead character (who also writes and directs this sequel) and is just a forgettable blob of cinema in my eyes.
Two years after the famous Essex Boys murders, Carlton Leach (Ricci Harnett) is convinced that the men who killed Tony, Pat, and Craig are still out there, and that he could be the next one on the chopping block. Suffering from nightmares and flashbacks to his time of those grisly murders, his life starts falling apart. His drinking, drugs, sex and other coping mechanisms have led him to the bottom and his life is about to fall completely over the edge. His paranoia brings him to a cross roads when he accidentally kills the pet dog in the night, thinking it’s an assassin out to get him, which finally is the last straw for his wife, Denny (Coralie Rose), who leaves Carlton and takes their two daughters with him.
Having lost his wife, his kids, his job, and his sanity due to his overuse of violence and paranoia, Carlton doesn’t have a whole lot to live for. However, he’s thrown a life line by an acquaintance, and given a new lease on life temporarily. But if you know anything about his past, Carlton is one of those guys who uses a gun to open up a beer bottle, and his violent tendencies soon starting getting him in trouble with bigger and bigger trouble. Back in the game, and back to being a full on enforcer, Carlton is on the ride once more, and just like John Wick, he’s not going to be getting off this time.
I wanted to like Rise of the Footsoldier: Part II, but it just goes TOO far into glorifying real life villains. I don’t have a problem where we fictionally romanticize assassins like John Wick, or cheer for the vigilante, but this series makes it VERY obvious that these are scum of the earth, yet there is this sort of hero worship of the Essex gang culture here. There’s no “warning” about this type of life style. It’s full on hero worship and it gives off a very uneasy vibe that unsettles he stomach, and not in a good ‘horror’ sort of way.
Rating:
Rated R for pervasive language, brutal violence, drug use, sexual content and nudity
Video:
![4 Stars :4stars: :4stars:](/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/4_stars.png)
Audio:
![3.5 Stars :3.5stars: :3.5stars:](/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/3.5_stars.png)
Extras:
![1.5 Stars :1.5stars: :1.5stars:](/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/1.5_stars.png)
• “Making of Rise of the Footsoldier Part II” Featurette
Final Score:
![3 Stars :3stars: :3stars:](/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/3_stars.png)
Whether you liked the 2007 film, the sequel just doesn’t live up to even the mediocre sleaze charm that Rise of the Footsoldier enjoyed. It’s soul less, heart less, and really skill less as well. Ricci Harnett is not a horrible actor, but he needs to stick to his day job, as this was just a slog to sit through. Lionsgate does an acceptable job with the film’s technical sepcs (even though the low budget Brit film was never designed to be a looker), and the extras are pretty nice, albeit rather small. Personally, unless you really enjoyed Rise of the Footsoldier and love indie gangster films, I would just skip it.
Technical Specifications:
Starring: Charlie Heaton, Steven Berkoff, Craig Fairbass
Directed by Ricci Harnett
Written by: Ricci Harnett
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 MPEG2
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, Spanish
Studio: Lionsgate
Rated: R
Runtime: 111 Minutes
DVD Release Date: February 20th, 2018
Recommendation: Skip It