Rise of the Footsoldier: Part II - DVD Review

[Michael Scott]

Rise of the Footsoldier: Part II

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
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.

As I said. Rise of the Footsoldier: Part II is a greasy little film that doesn’t have a lot going for it. Rise of the Footsoldier was no stunning work of art, but it had a sort of indie charm to it that was kind of appealing. Ricci Harnett was solid as Carlton Leach, and the gruesomeness of it was tamed by how likeable Carlton was. Unfortunately, the sequel feels a bit more like a cash grab, with Ricci taking the directorial and writing roles on as WELL as the lead acting job as well. Kind of making him the jack of all trades, but definitely master of none. He does well as Carlton once more, but his directing skills are very weak, and the acting quality is very ropey. Steven Berkoff is probably still the best part of the film, making his cameo as Dr. Flint one of the best moments. Otherwise it just falls miserably into the “wow this is bad” category.

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:

Rise of the Footsoldier: Part II is a solid looking DVD-9 that’s for sure. The movie is decidedly low budget, but it maintains a healthy bitrate and a good looking image on DVD. The film is shot with low light conditions most of the time, but seems pretty straight forward. The darks arre deep and inky, and there seems to be little artifacting during those shots. Clarity is strong across the board and I can’t find much wrong with the film. The low budget shooting style isn’t always 100% razor sharp, but clarity is never a fault with the DVD and the clothing, along with facial detail, is always strong. Certain shots look grungy and slightly yellow, but the sharpness of the disc maintains enough strength to be very appealing to the naked eye.






Audio:

The 5.1 Dolby digital track is satisfactorily, but really never excels past basic perfunctory composition. Dialog is strong and clear (even though the Essex cockney accents can be hard to decipher, but that’s just this listener’s lack of ability to hear dialect heavy English accents more than a fault of the track). Action is hot and heavy, but the surrounds aren’t always wildly engaged across the spectrum. LFE is tight and punchy, adding weight to the brothel brawl, as well as several other action sequences throughout the film. It’s a solid track, but realy not one that stands out above the rest in an action sound track.






Extras:

• Director’s Commentary
• “Making of Rise of the Footsoldier Part II” Featurette

Final Score: ​

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

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Skip It

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. Will skip it based on your review.