Full disclosure: I did not originally like the first Sicario upon initial viewing. I couldn’t tell you why, but I felt it was a slog to get through and I wasn’t playing ball. Upon a request from a friend, I revisited it last year and I can tell you I was very much wrong.
Sicario is a well-crafted, beautifully shot, bleak film that shows the dangers and corruption behind the drug trade. Needless to say, I was very excited for the sequel when it was announced. There’s an old adage: the sequel is never as good as its predecessor. That, thankfully, is not the case here, as Soldado is a rare example of a badass follow-up to a badass film.
Alejandro (Benicio del Toro), stole the show in the first film. He was gruff, violent and uncaring, which, to me, made him such an intriguing character. He isn’t a good guy and doesn’t pretend to be, yet you’re captivated by what he is going to do next. The fear I had was we would get more of the same but luckily, Alejandro has more of a moral center here than in the first. Though he still does and says whatever (and I mean WHATEVER) he wants, you can’t help but feel he knows the consequences of his actions.
On the flip side is Josh Brolin (what a year he’s having, eh?) as Special Operative Matt Graver. Graver, one would assume, is the one chosen to keep Alejandro in line. However, much like Alejandro, he understands what must be done and, though he has morality, believes the safety of the free world is more important than some blood on his hands. Together, these two men dive deep into the drug world and active terrorism to stop, well, the drug world and active terrorism. Their chemistry and intensity are palpable. I stress again; these are not the good guys.
It goes without saying that this film is incredibly violent. There is a cornucopia of bullets, explosions and bloodshed that some may find disturbing. As I exited the theater, I heard a woman say, “Well, the action was not very fun to watch.” She was correct. You aren’t watching this movie strictly based on entertainment, but to understand the real-life tragedies, such as the ones depicted here, that go on in the world. I commend the film for this; it has a message and just because the message isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, does not make it less of a film.
Terrorism happens almost everyday and, believe it or not folks, children get caught up in it more than you’d fathom to think. It’s not nice, it’s not pretty and writer Taylor Sheridan and director Stefano Sollima pinpoint that to a tee. A particular scene (can’t spoil it) revolving around a grocery store highlights these atrocities and is anxiety-inducing. The grooming of a young assassin and the kidnapping of a little girl will surely upset some people and the reliance on guns, a hot button subject, will not go unnoticed. Again, I stress, that’s the point.
Though Roger Deakins is not back as cinematographer, Dariusz Wolski would have you believe he was. This film is so beautiful, so captivating in scope, you feel like you’re right there in the scene. Every bullet, every explosion, feels and looks real, not a CGI mess that we would see in a lesser film. The final, mind-blowing sequence is right up there with Skyfall’s final scene as one of the most beautiful scenes I’ve ever seen shot.
If I’m pinpointing negatives, which is my job, I’d say the editing is a letdown. You can tell some cuts are from other takes, especially when the light outside changes. To a casual moviegoer, this will go unnoticed but to the trained eye, it’s quite noticeable and happens more than it should.
Listen folks, Sicario: Day of the Soldado is a great film, a worthy and, quite frankly, better sequel than the original. Sicario is wonderfully made but, in truth, very paint by numbers in terms of story. Soldado is far more complex, better written and perfectly acted. However, you need to be warned; this film is dark, grim and violent. It’s not fun, it’s not conventional and brings to light a lot of things most people don’t want to talk about. It has the balls to tackle these issues, make the audience feel uncomfortable and give them the dilemma of having no one to really root for.
Grade: 9.5/10
