“Rise of the Footsoldier Part II” rises to the occasion and (almost) tops the first flick

Sequels are sometimes as good (if not better) than the flick they follow. Witness the crime-thriller Rise of the Footsoldier Part II, the follow-up to 2007’s cult hit Rise of the Footsoldier. Save the date: Part II arrives on DVD, Digital and On Demand on February 20 from Lionsgate.

Rise of the Footsoldier Part II follows football-hooligan-turned-professional-criminal Carlton Leach, who’s still mourning the loss of his friends and is convinced that it’s only a matter of time before he’s next. For him, the only way out is to go back in and work his way back up the criminal ladder . . . but the higher he gets, the more violent the jobs become, until his quest for power turns into an obsession. With life and family on the line, can he hold his nerves together one last time in order to get out alive?

We ain’t telling.