Sicario: Day of the Soldado
(2018)No rules this time.
Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin and writer Taylor Sheridan return for the follow-up to the 2015 cartel crime thriller, this time joined by Catherine Keener. Stefano Sollima (Suburra) directs.... More
After discovering drug cartels smuggling terrorists across the US border, the CIA's Matt Graver (Brolin) and former undercover operative Alejandro (del Toro) are sent to eliminate the problem. Along the way, Alejandro revisits his old nemesis to settle scores.Hide
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Directed by Stefano Sollima ('Suburra', 'A.C.A.B.')
Starring Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Catherine Keener, Christopher Heyerdahl, Jeffrey Donovan, Isabela Moner, Matthew Modine, Ian Bohen
Written by Taylor Sheridan
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Sicario: Day of the Soldado
The Press Reviews
Thrillingly paced, ravishingly shot and eerily topical, Sicario 2 retains much of its predecessor's dark charm despite its shuffled creative personnel. But a jarringly Hollywood ending dulls its overall impact. Full Review
Like its violent antiheroes, "Sicario: Day of the Soldado" is ruthlessly efficient but also morally conflicted. Full Review
"Soldado" may not be as masterful as Villeneuve's original, but it sets up a world of possibilities for elaborating on a complex conflict far too rich to be resolved in two hours' time. Full Review
In some ways, Day of the Soldado is darker than Sicario, but it's darkness without purpose. Full Review
Sicario: Day of the Soldado emerges as a dynamic action drama in its own right. Full Review
A good film in its genre, but it never transcends that genre in the way the original did. Full Review
This latest trip down Mexico way is enjoyable and frustrating in equal measure. Full Review
Ultimately, the movie is softer than it looks: Sheridan's trick is to keep up a facade of nihilism for as long as possible before allowing sentiment to creep in. Full Review
BY Matt Glasby Flicks Writer
Denis Villeneuve’s tense-as-hell thriller was one of the nicest surprises of 2015, pitting newbie Fed Emily Blunt against the Mexican drug cartels like a kickass Clarice Starling. Neither Villeneuve, Blunt or sidekick Daniel Kaluuya return for Stefano Sollima’s solid sequel, but writer Taylor Sheridan, Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin are back, the three stealth stars of the original. ... More
Of course, Mexico is even more of a hot-button topic now, thanks to President F-ckface, Child-Catcher in Chief. So it seems especially incendiary that Brolin and Del Toro’s mission this time is a blacker-than-black ops kidnapping of a drug dealer’s daughter (Isabella Moner) from across the border. At one point Brolin’s jaded CIA agent calls the POTUS a coward who’s only worried about ratings. “He’s not worried about ratings,” says head honcho Catherine Keener, “he’s worried about being impeached.” Yeeouch.
Otherwise, it’s business as usual, as the film flits from Mexico to Kansas to Djibouti and back again, before settling down into a familiar mix of brooding brinkmanship, shouty interrogations and shooty ambushes – the pick of which are the kidnapping itself and an all-guns blazing desert assault.
Blessed with smart writing, strong central performances and a rich seam of nihilism, it’s far better than could have been expected. But without Blunt and Kaluuya’s (relative) innocents, there’s no contrast, no light to the darkness, and Sollima’s direction only ever entertains, where Villeneuve’s enthralled. It can’t beat the law of diminishing returns, but Soldado has an intelligence and ambition that’s all-too-rare in blockbuster season, let alone in a sequel. And if you think it’s far-fetched, just turn on the news.Hide
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