Sicario 2: Soldado - Review Thread

Worthy follow-up. Of course it's not as good, but the first was near perfection. I'll see a third.

Count me among those who found 2015's Sicario to be one of the best films of the year and the rare political thriller that actually thrills, marked with incredibly tense sequences and imagery supervised by director Denis Villeneuve and cinematographer Roger Deakins. For the sequel, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, neither Villeneuve nor Deakins returned, and the sequel also lost the protagonist and star of the original in Emily Blunt, whose character operated as the naive, by-the-book agent clinging to morality in a lawless territory. Blunt's character of Kate Macer may not have been as dynamic as Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro) or as fun as the scene-chewing Matt Graver (Josh Brolin), but she was important in directly challenging the moral ambiguity permeating through the system and also serving as a voyeur for the viewer to see that the heroes might not be heroes at all. The ending of Sicario is a final wallop for Kate Macer as well, as she succumbs to Alejandro's threats and ultimately signs away her chance at making a difference. It's a cynical ending perfectly fitting the cynical, brutal film, but I have to admit that the absence of Kate Macer from the sequel is what worried me more than Villeneuve and Deakins not returning. As fun as it is to see Alejandro and Graver wreak havoc and steal scenes as uncompromising antiheroes, too much of a good thing going unchecked rarely works for a two hour duration, and Macer is the stick in the mud attempting to foil their efforts that was a big part of why the dynamic power plays in the original were so interesting. My suspicions proved to be correct, though fortunately her absence isn't a backbreaker either. Sicario: Day of the Soldado doesn't pack the thematic insight concerning straddling the line of playing the same game as brutal enemies, nor does it contain action sequences nearly on par with the most exhilarating moments of the original (there is no descent into Juarez or traffic shootout to be seen here), but as an action thriller it works enough and certainly feels true enough to the original film to merit a watch.

The sequel makes no attempt at connecting itself to the events of the original, and instead begins with some brutally graphic footage of suicide bombers killing themselves and several innocent civilians in a supermarket in Kansas City. They learn that a lot of these terrorists are now finding their way into the United States by route of Mexico, and Graver is tasked by government official James Riley (Matthew Modine) to strike back against the Cartels that are harboring them across the border. To do this, Graver devises a plan to kidnap the daughter of a major Cartel leader, framing another Cartel as the culprit, in order to cause war between the groups and destroy themselves while the United States operates on the outside, stirring the pot. To be honest none of this really feels like it's the same movie, and the biggest issue with the sequel is how fragmented everything is narrative-wise. The suicide bombers quickly become an afterthought as the kidnapping plot takes over, and I felt that they could have arrived at the idea of the Cartels infighting in a way that feels more intrinsic to the problems at the border. Graver quickly recruits Alejandro, who stole the show big time in the original film, to assist him in this since he knows Alejandro has a deep-seeded hatred for Reyes, the Cartel leader who killed his family. Thus sets off a chain of events centered around kidnapping Reyes' daughter, Isabel (Isabela Moner), and the United States concurrently starting a war while attempting to keep their involvement a secret. This plot has a lot going for it initially, and I personally loved the idea of Graver and the government instigating gang warfare in Mexico, but really the film only operates narratively on very surface levels. The ending is a dismal thud, really wrapping up very little and depicting even less of the ostensible negatives you would perceive come with our government meddling like they do in this movie. It doesn't feel like a complete thought, and any positive feelings I had towards the sequel as being a solid film were dashed once we fade to black. When you reflect on the sequel, there's really not much of a point to all of its chaos, and it doesn't hit you with the cynical impact of the original's ending either. I'm not sure what Sicario: Day of the Soldado has to say, if anything, and even for a summer action thriller, that's a huge issue.

But despite the narrative offering little intrigue beyond what it initially sets up, there's still a lot to praise the sequel on. First off, despite the absence of Villeneuve and Deakins, this film certainly feels like a true successor to the original. The wide shots of empty vistas, the pulsing score, and the grim tone are carried over to the sequel, and you certainly feel like you're right back in the dangerous part of the world the original depicted so well. The cast is also terrific all around, namely Brolin as the one-liner spewing Carver and Del Toro as Alejandro. In the original Alejandro largely operated solely as a no-nonsense, hellbent on revenge hitman whose ruthlessness in the film stole the show. Ask anyone about Sicario, and there's no doubt that it won't take long to get to the infamous dinner scene near the film's end. While Alejandro is still that character, he's given a far more empathetic and humanizing role here, serving as bodyguard to Isabel Reyes. He sees in her the daughter he lost years ago, and though she's the daughter of his enemy, he understands that she has nothing to do with the atrocities committed by the Cartel. So while some will assuredly be disappointed that Del Toro isn't nearly as unhinged and entertainingly brutal this time around, his character has also been given the added depth necessary with him playing the protagonist for the sequel.

In terms of action sequels, Sicario: Day of the Soldado certainly is one of the better ones despite its flaws. Its narrative is disjointed and doesn't pay off, and any attempt at resurfacing the thematic discussions about morality are eschewed almost entirely, but the film does succeed at accurately carrying the immense tension and tone of its predecessor which results in the narrative never feeling less than compelling. It doesn't have action sequences nearly on par with the original either, but that doesn't mean the film doesn't thrill or shock in its own right. Yet despite the sequel certainly feeling true to the original and setting up a story that could hold up to it as well, you can't shake the sense throughout that something's missing that's keeping this film from being on par. It looks and acts the part, but it elects for action without delving into the purpose behind it. And as I mentioned earlier, what is the purpose of this film? In the end, I'm not really sure if the film does have anything profound to say. There really aren't even consequences for the United States starting this war in the first place, a war in which we don't witness between the Cartels either. It feels like we're always kept at a thematic distance when we should be pulled deeper into this nasty world, and that is what keeps Sicario: Day of the Soldado as an entertaining action thriller and nothing more.

6/10

I don't get the hate. This is a damn good film pretty much on par with the first! Bring on more sequels!!!!

It doesn't want to be empty. It just falls apart in the last ten minutes.

I guess the movie is about identity crisis.

You have the girl who is the daughter of a drug kingpin and she's acting like a bad bitch at school, but when shit gets real, she's just a child. Then there's the boy who's trying to be a badass but jumped off the truck before everyone got massacred by Josh Brolin.