Brutal. In good ways and bad.
The sequel opens with an even BETTER cinematic, a hilarious and brutal gas station robbery foiled, but the game is somewhat looser than the first. Not nearly as memorable though much better looking, admittedly. The gunplay is still great, but harder with tougher enemies and even tougher bosses.
Dead to Rights was reknown for its difficulty on the Xbox, which was toned down for its Cube and PS2 ports. II is harder, with some insanely difficult boss battles that literally suck what little fun is left from the game.
The music is still top notch, and the acting fun, but overall this game enhanced the flaws of the first and is a sad death to what could have been a fantastic franchise. Even still though, I must say, the gunplay IS awesome, so rent it and prepare to be frustrated within a few hours.