Sicario: Day of the Soldado - A RMNT Review

Sicario: Day of the Soldado is the continuation to the first Sicario film, with Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin reprising their roles, Taylor Sheridan returning as screenwriter, and Stefano Sollima tasked as director due to the previous director busy with new projects. When I first saw Sicario, I thought it was a flawless masterpiece as it delivered strong moments of suspense, intense action, gorgeous cinematography, a beautiful score to listen, and engaging performances, all thanks to the brilliant vision of its director Denis Villeneuve. But from the way it ended, I never once expected it to have a sequel, but here we are. From seeing the trailer, I got intrigued to see what's in store, but the question remains, is a sequel necessary, if so, can it work?

The story follows CIA agent Matt Graver (played by Josh Brolin) who, under permission of the US government, is tasked to taking down Mexican drug cartels by any extreme means after finding suspicion that they're involved with getting Islamic terrorists cross through the border, leading him to recruit black operative Alejandro Gillick (Benicio del Toro) once more for this classified and complex plan. But things go awry when a series of unexpected events bring complications to the op. Like the previous film, the plot is character-driven while continuing to explore the gray moral areas in the human condition and how far you're willing to get the job done, even if lives get destroyed in the process. The film also has a subplot centered on a young Mexican boy who starts to work with smugglers in getting immigrants across the border, and at first, you wonder if something relevant is gonna happen, which fortunately collides with the main plot in the third act, leading to surprising and unexpected results. The suspense is handled rather well and when there's action, it is delivered in intense brutal fashion, but enjoy them while they happen since its more story-driven than action-driven. But regardless, you'll enjoy them at least. With Day of the Soldado having a two hour and two minute running time, it does have its slow moments, which can affect the pacing, particularly when there's characters entering in conversation, and while they're essential to the plot, it does halt the story's progression for what feels for more than several minutes.

Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin reprise their respective roles as former lawyer turned black operator Alejandro Gillick and CIA agent Matt Graver, who give superb performances, whether they interact in small conversations, go on recons, and take out a group in a gunfight. While Matt is the aggressive go-geter for the government, Alejandro is the more complex of the pair due to his tragic backstory, but you still see that he shows signs of his humanity, including moments where he interacts with Isabela. One of the characters introduced in the film, Isabela, played by Isabela Moner (talk about coincidental), is the daughter of the kingpin of the opposing cartel who Graver and others kidnap to bring further escalation between the two cartels as part of their operation and one of the biggest highlights of the film as she shows many different layers to the character, from showing a cocky attitude to her high school principal after she brutally punches one of her classmates to becoming a traumatized girl who's scared for her life, making you feel very sorry that she's gone through so much in a short period of time. Her scenes with Alejandro are also enjoyable to watch as their relationships grows while he ensures her safety, becoming to that of a father and daughter, even when they aren't exchanging words. Another character introduced in the film, Miguel, played by Elijah Rodriguez whose performance is also a highlight in the film, brings us his point of view of the many illegal activities happening in Mexico as we watch him react to that environment, learning the rules of how that world is, and whether or not he really wants to go through with it, particularly in the third act. I hope to see this kid in more future roles as I see much potential in him, especially due to how the film ends.

Other characters featured in the film include Secretary of Defense James Riley and Cynthia Foards (played by Matthew Modine and Catherine Kent respectively) who are Graver's superiors who gave him the green light to do what must be done to prevent more terrorist attacks and while the two do great jobs, you could say that the characters they portray represent the dark side of how the government is... I wish I could you tell more about the other characters, but I'll be very brief here, they're simply the same kind of characters that you've seen many times in crime films, and while they each have their roles and are portrayed well by the selected actors, they're all just simply passable in the end.

Like the previous Sicario, this one is just as nicely shot, allowing you to feel in the bleak reality we're watching as it beautifully captures the mood of the story and the themes it represents. Even the lighting in indoors location sets the mood whether things will get ugly or to let breathe after getting through the violence. If you've seen the first film, then you'll definitely feel more familiar with the environment of the main setting in the sequel, and while its production did well, it can never outdo the original.

Sicario: Day of the Soldado is a solid continuation to the previous film with its intensity, brutal action, engaging performances from Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin, as well as the performances of the two youngest stars, and the recurring exploration of moral gray areas in the field of government-sanctioned black operations, but the slow pacing and passable secondary characters could've been improved. Since one of the producers, Trent Luckinbill, announced that a third film is currently in development, how will it take this down further to a more darker and deeper route in this growing franchise?

Story: 4 / 5

Characters: 4 / 5

Production: 4 / 5

Final rating: 4 / 5