Rise of the Footsoldier: Part II (2015)

Where do I start...acting is awful, bordering on on parody. Hard men who don't see bad things happening to them. It's 1985 gangster wonderland. I hope the idiots who made this got forced to watch Michael Mann and Tarantino films for a month. Amateur at best, swearing is pathetic. A poor film of a poorer subject. AVOID.

Review: I really wasn't expecting that much from this film, especially when I saw that it had something to do with the Rettendon killings but it actually turned out to be quite entertaining. The raw, intense and gritty storyline was, surprisingly, quite gripping and the Essex backdrop was put together well. The violence, sex and foul language did go a bit over the top but that was expected from this English, gangster type movie, which was based in Essex, at a time when the Rettendon murders were still in people's minds. All of the actors put in a decent performance, and they made the movie seem extremely real but the person that I was most impressed with was Ricci Harnett (Carlton Leach), who was pretty brutal and unlikable at the beginning but he found some redemption towards the end. When Carlton finally decides to "Knock It On The Head", to live the quiet life with his family, he is pushed to limit and his past catches up with him, so I would like to see a 3rd instalment, to finally see if he has turned his bad ways, to the good. The only downfall about this film is that there are a lot of movies in this genre which, are the same in many ways but I still stayed interested throughout, and I found it quite enjoyable. Round-Up: This movie was also directed by Ricci Harnett, who played the leading role, so he really did give this project his all. The London born actor/writer/director has also starred in movies like 28 Days Later, Vendetta starring Danny Dyer, Top Dog, the impressive Ill Manors, the Rise & Fall of a White Collar Hooligan, and some TV series like the Bill, Buried and Dubplate Drama. He also starred in the first instalment of this movie, so he wasn't new to the project. Anyway, for his directorial debut, I personally think that he done a good job with this movie and his acting was top form but it would be good to see him tackle another genre, because this one has been done to death.I recommend this movie to people who are into their crime movies starring Ricci Harnett, Steven Berkoff, Luke Mably, Craig Fairbrass, Terry Stone and Tygo Gernandt. 4/10

Considering this is Ricci Harnetts directional debut i think it is an excellent effort.The dark undertones that became the fabric of Carlton Leaches life were brought to the fore with my particular favourite scene being the meeting with Norton played excellently by Jasper Britton with the intimidation from Britton and the fear from Harnett just oozing out of the scene.Carlton Leach led a dark and often dangerous life and i believe no better person than Harnett could have been chosen to portray him with his brooding swagger and attitude when playing the part.The DVD package itself is basic but well equipped with extras such as directors commentary and the making of.Leach himself making a cameo was a nice touch but purists in that world might like to have seen a few more notables such as Bill Gardner putting in an appearance.But all in all a very good title where i hope Mr Harnett is considering a ROTFS 3.

The conclusion to the first film meant that a remake would be pointless.We are over the 90's, and the point of the original was to document the eventual demise of big time drug dealers.My dealer at the time got done for 3,000 pills, 5 years in nick, but I never saw any violence. He's a painter and decorator now, he enjoyed making people happy selling happy pills and he was nothing like the big time drug dealers portrayed in the media, he would chill out at my parties, I knew he was 'something', but he wasn't a thug, let's paint it real.