Review of Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018) by Alan W — 15 Jul 2018

Immigration and terrorism rear their ugly heads again in this sequel to 2015's Sicario, tackling once more the tricky issues of the drugs as well as illegal immigrants trade that's been forever bothering the Mexico-U.

S. border. Josh Brolin's federal agent Matt Graver and Benicio Del Toro's mercenary return, this time, in a U.S. Government sanctioned covert operation to kidnap one of the Mexican drug lords' daughter in order to start a cartel war.

It is a simple and intriguing narrative written again by Taylor Sheridan that seems timely and realistic, but there are coincidences and fudging, both in terms of plot and character motivations, that feel a little clunky, if not unconvincing.

Solid and well paced execution by director, Stefano Sollima, manages to gloss over some of these plotting problems though I do miss some of the poetic flair of original director Denis Villeneuve. While Del Toro's performance leans towards the stoic, this summer's MVP, Josh Brolin, continues to dominate and shine in his third big outing, showing both range and appeal as an actor who can tackle characters caught between light and shade.

A particularly atmospheric score creates a heavy (handed) sense of foreboding throughout, while surveillance-like aerial cinematography enhances the sombre and Big Brother feel of the film. However, even though the end result is slick and professional, it just doesn't feel as exciting and poignant as it could've been, and ultimately the ending, in service to set up potentially future instalments, just feels a little far-fetched.