Sicario 2: Soldado

Greenlighting a sequel without your top-billed star, celebrated cinematographer and now superstar Director seems like critical and commercial suicide but has somehow worked for the rather excellent Sicario 2: Soldado. The first film built on the small-screen’s love for Cartel tales with a gritty, violent and classy thriller which firmly set Denis Villeneuve as ‘one to watch’ before Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 truly sent him overboard. This sequel, and apparent middle chapter of a trilogy if the ending’s anything to go by, continues with the tone and prescience to give us another realism-over-pulp tale of life on the border. Jumping at the chance to bring some political relevance into play new Director Stefano Sollima gives us some more politics this time around as the Cartels are to be labelled ‘terrorist organisations’ by the President. Trying to get them to face off against each other returning FBI Agent Matt Graver is tasked with kidnapping the daughter of a Cartel leader to incite war between rival gangs. It’s a classy, weighty film which continues with the first film’s patience to give it a truly methodical nature; landing much better than a hasty action film. Its widescreen cinematography gives it a Western-esque scope which suits the locales and boiled, grizzled government agents. Unlike the first though, the plot doesn’t quite reach the same satisfactory conclusion. It’s knotty, sure, and suggests a twist or dramatic finale but doesn’t deliver on this. Perhaps the prospect of a third dulled the need for a blunt ending. For a film ostensibly about Cartels as well, we only come across low-level goons and paid-off cops. The aforementioned daughter is the closest we come to the elite. It’s more focused on the dynamics between the government agents and their superiors and the disparity between those who make the decisions and those who enforce them. Josh Brolin (will we see a film without him this year?!) is fantastic in portraying this dichotomy as is Benicio Del Toro who has so much pathos and wisdom in just a look, let alone when he’s delivering the excellent script. There are some typically stunning set pieces as well, they feel chunkier than the usual action fare again due to the inspired shot choices and gratuity of the sparsely used violence. A worthy sequel then, just a shame the plot loses itself a bit halfway through. A third anywhere close to the first two’s quality though will leave a highly rated trilogy. 4 stars ****