Synopsis
Also titled Rise of the Footsoldier Part II: Reign of the General, the sequel picks up directly after the events of the first film. Carlton Leach (Ricci Harnett, who also directs) is shattered by the murders of his friends Tony Tucker, Pat Tate and Craig Rolfe. The Essex underworld is in chaos, and Leach is paranoid that whoever pulled the trigger at Rettendon might be coming for him next.
The film weaves between Leach’s personal grief, his ongoing involvement in the criminal aftermath of the killings, and the police investigation that would eventually convict Mickey Steele and Jack Whomes for the murders (a conviction that has since been the subject of considerable controversy and is still disputed by many).
Production notes
This is the only film in the series directed by Ricci Harnett himself. After the success of the first film on DVD, plans for a sequel kicked around for years before finally coming together in 2015. It’s also the last film in the franchise to focus on Carlton Leach as the lead until Vengeance shifts the focus entirely.
Trivia
- Ricci Harnett both stars and directs.
- The film took roughly £8,000 at the worldwide theatrical box office, by far the franchise’s lowest, but found its audience on home video.
- Generally considered the weakest entry in the franchise by fans and critics alike, which paradoxically set the stage for the much-loved Pat Tate-focused films that followed.
- The Rettendon murders case remains contested; Mickey Steele and Jack Whomes had their convictions referred back to the Court of Appeal in 2021.