SICARIO 2: SOLDADO REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

In 2015, director Denis Villeneuve released Sicario, a thriller starring Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro. It went on to be very successful both with critics and audiences. It was also recognised by the Academy and received three nominations for  Best Achievement in Cinematography, Best Achievement in Sound Editing and Best Original Score. When films are successful, sequels are made, with producers hoping for similar success. Unfortunately, many sequels tend to be disappointments as they lack the quality of the original. With Emily Blunt not returning as her character, Kate Macer, and Villeneuve being replaced by Stefano Sollima, is this the case for Sicario 2: Soldado?

In the drug war, there are no rules - and as the cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the US border, federal agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) calls on the mysterious Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro), whose family was murdered by a cartel kingpin, to escalate the war in nefarious ways. Alejandro kidnaps the kingpin's daughter, Isabel (Isabela Moner) to inflame the conflict - but when the girl is seen as collateral damage, her fate will come between the two men as they question everything they are fighting for.

When the sequel to Sicario was announced, I was surprised when I found out that Blunt wouldn't be reprising her role as Kate. She gave an impressive performance and one of the best of her career. However, the writer, Taylor Sheridan, explained that there wasn't any room for her character in the story. After seeing the film, I can understand that. However, Sheridan did say that there could be room for her character somewhere else down the road, which means she could return for another sequel. 

While Blunt doesn't return, Brolin and Del Toro both appear as CIA agent, Matt Graver, and hitman, Alejandro. They both gave solid performances in Sicario, however, they were overshadowed by Blunt. Brolin has had a busy year, appearing in both Avengers: Infinity War as Thanos and Deadpool 2 as Cable. Of the three performances, I'd have to say that Thanos and Cable were the stand outs, however, his portrayal of Graver proves that he's still capable of giving a serious performance. Del Toro, who also appeared in Avengers: Infinity War in a small role as The Collector, shows another side to Alejandro. In Sicario, he was mysterious and ruthless as he wanted revenge for the deaths of his wife and daughter. While he still has a ruthless and violent side, we see a more softer side to him as he protects Isabel. The rest of the cast, which includes Catherine Keener as Cynthia Foards, each give solid performances but nothing noteworthy.

In the three years since Sicario's release, Sheridan has proved himself to be talented at directing as well as writing. Last year, he released his directorial debut, Wind River, starring Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen. Like Sicario, it was a gripping thriller with strong performances from its two leads. While Soldado's story is good, it lacks the heart-pounding thrills that Sicario had. However, it is still quite intense at times, with a few shoot-outs here and there. 

I'm not familiar with Sollima's previous directorial works, however, after a bit of research, I've noticed that he has directed thrillers before, including Suburra which was released in 2015. Because of this, I can understand why he was chosen to direct and, while he's not as good as Villeneuve, he's not bad. 

Since Soldado's release, it has received negativity and, to be honest, I can understand that. It's not on par with Sicario, however, I don't think it's an awful film. Not once during the film did I get bored and, in fact, I thought it moved at a quick pace. When it ended, I couldn't believe that it had been two hours. I was expecting it to be one of those films that seems to drag, however, I was pleasantly surprised. I think that Soldado is a worthy follow-up as it's got action, there are many intense scenes and the character-related moments are effective without seeming too sentimental. Surprisingly, Soldado manages to stand on its own as viewers don't need to have seen Sicario, unless they want background information on Brolin's and Del Toro's characters. The events that happened in the previous film aren't mentioned and neither is Blunt's character. However, I do think that it's best to watch Sicario before seeing the sequel so that viewers will know what to expect.

While it lacks the quality of Sicario, I think that Soldado is worth watching to those who enjoyed its predecessor and the performances of Josh Brolin and Benecio Del Toro.

7/10