Sicario: Day of the Soldado

Josh Brolin and his hitman Benicio Del Toro set out to rid Mexico of the drug cartels, but the mission gets a little out of hand and the consequences can be very painful... Sicario 2 is a good slow-burn thriller, but in all respects it loses a little to the first. It's still a proper manly film, though, and a very tough one at that. It's enough for a good thriller, but don't expect an exceptional film this time. (27/07/2018)

Even though at first glance, and maybe even after the first scene, everything seems the same, Sicario 2: Soldado doesn't reach the heights of its predecessor. It can't, because the majority of the key participants from before are missing. Denis Villeneuve and his perfectly convincing direction, Joe Walker with his precise editing, Jóhann Jóhannsson's pulsating music, and above all, Roger Deakins' engaging camera, which turned an above-average experience into something unforgettable. And all of them have now been replaced, except for the key acting duo, and at least Taylor Sheridan returns. Once again, he has decided to cut deep, but this time he lacks the more human dimension that resonated with the viewer in the first film thanks to Kate's character. Her successor, in the form of the constantly bedraggled Isabela Merced, cannot handle a similar task because she only serves the plot without getting her own scene, at the expense of the machinations, action, and stubbornness of Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro. As a standalone genre film, Stefano Sollima's vision certainly holds up, thanks to the charisma of the aforementioned actors, but as a sequel to a film that shook the cinema three years ago, it is damn too little. (24/07/2018)

It’s not Villeneuve and the screenplay is a bit wobbly, but Sicario 2 is still way above average. Arabs walking through Mexico to blow up supermarkets are giving the Yankees a headache, so Brolin is brought in to deal with it and he in turn orders Del Toro to deal with it. I like the contrast between the messy action here and the spectacular action of the first film. Loads of fantastic scenes, sign language with a farmer and an execution in the desert. It's really good, but the first one is simply better. And Deakins is sorely missed. (29/04/2019)

Bigger, but not heavier. Sheridan repeats his interest in macho characters a lot, as if he is able to garner less and less from the dark environment of contemporary America. He focuses only on the depressing scenes this time, which do not form as much of a devastating and mysterious whole. But the craft of Soldado is very good, making it a thriller with tempo and atmosphere. Even in the strongest moments, however, it still looks more like a successful imitation of a film that managed to make the audience vibrate with tension below the surface. A lot of Soldado happens on the surface, but that doesn't take the wind out of Sicaro's sails. Benicio Del Toro's laser vision and lawless landscape are still here. (01/07/2018)

Stefano Sollima sure is a brilliant filmmaker. He really had his fun with the Sicario sequel, although it was a shame that there were so few action scenes since I had so much fun watching them. They were real and raw, without a single drop of CGI and that’s something I can always appreciate. What was worse, however, was the actual script. There were so many twists and turns by the end that thought I was gonna die. I know that Tylor Sheridan’s proved himself over the years, but he really overdid it this time. This has to be the most botched up script of 2018. (28/12/2018)