When I first heard about the Sicario sequel I was concerned that it would take the realistic elements of the first film and turn it into an overblown action flick.
Thankfully, however, that is not was happened because Sicario: Day of the Soldado sticks to its realism in a gritty and rather disturbing manner.
Directed by Stephano Sollima this time and once again written by Taylor Sheridan, the film follows the sicario Alejandro Gillick (Benicio del Toro) and agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) as they try to start a cartel war after these cartels are labeled as terrorist organisations by the United States government.
What follows is a complicated, yet enthralling story that, while not as good as the first, delivers a chilling story that highlights the mortality of what these characters are doing.
The opening scene alone is very disturbing and not for the faint of heart as the film fully displays how innocents are so often caught up in terrorism and acts of war.
Emily Blunt is absent from this film because, according to Cinema Blend, Sollima said he prefers “not to have a moral guidance for the audience.”
This leaves Alejandro as the main character and del Toro once again delivers a fantastic performance as the chilling sicario.
Brolin also does a great job as agent Graver, making it three great performances he has given this year including Thanos and Cable.
This film is also brimming with tension and the violence is super realistic, especially in the final moments.
Sicario: Day of the Soldado is not completely perfect, however, because the story does change half way through.
I personally did not find this change in story to be that jarring but I can also see how other people would.
Another problem had to do with how the character of Isabela (Isabela Moner) was treated by Alejandro.
Alejandro serves as her protector in this film but, given what I know about him from the first Sicario, I find it highly unlikely that he would want to protect this girl and that he would actually want her dead.
It just felt like a big plot hole to me.
Overall though, Sicario: Day of the Soldado was still a very good film with great performances and disturbing elements of realism.
Just be be prepared for the switch in story and you will have a good time with it.
THE REVIEW MONSTER 