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A brilliant film that helped define a genre

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

I saw the first film in this series (I am certain it will turn out to be a series) and rather enjoyed it. If you haven't seen it, A Very British Gangster (the original) is worth your time if you have any interest in modern-day British gangsters. AVBG2 not so much. For one thing, everyone seems to be playing to the camera -- so most of the "documentary" scenes have a rehearsed and phony feeling to them. For another, the main subject of the documentary, Domenyk Noonan, who seemed quirkily interesting in the first film, now reveals himself as what he actually is — a clueless thug who accepts no responsibility for the depressing fate that awaits his doting family. When his son winds up in prison for car theft during Domenyk's own prison sojourn, the scion of the Noonan family blames all those around the boy who "should have watched out for him" — everyone but himself for setting the family standard and then winding up behind bars where parenting of any kind is impossible. On top of everything else, this film is just plain tedious — a study in how to make criminality seem as banal as it really is. With all the government scrutiny he is under, Noonan is clearly feeling the pinch. Ergo his stints as a stand-up comic (excruciatingly unfunny) and a security expert (one look at him hefting his bulk toward the car on behalf of his benighted clients is enough to convince you of his slim prospects in this profession). I am certain that this pitiful excuse for a documentary is simply another attempt to cash in on his fleeting moments of fame. And I am just as certain there will be another in this series, no matter how unnecessary. And another. And another. And probably another.

This is a bit of a waste of time to be honest. A good chunk of the film is simply a rehash of events from the first film which itself was only okay.There is little further insight into Lattlay-Fottfoy although some of the characters around him are allowed to speak a little about their upbringing.I have no idea why the once good Donal MacIntyre wanted to make this, I can only assume money which surely wasn't megabucks considering few people seem to know about the 1st one.The only reason I watched it until the end was to produce this review. Avoid.