User Reviews

Once you get over a bit of a slow start, the film proves to be entertaining and engrossing, and it draws attention to the inner, sometimes dirty, machinations of government and the jurisdictional "system". The acting is also pretty much all-around top-notch.

The only thing that I found as a slight negative, is that it really doesn't have any kind of re-watchabilty factor. Once you've seen and enjoyed it, as much as one can enjoy a film of this nature, I don't find that there is any allure to ever watch it again.

This is one of those action movies that it only job is to give you as real as possible experience with its beautiful cinematography. It doesn't feel as real as ''Children of Men'' and it probably won't get a Oscar but it serves its job. The movie may not be as masterful as Villeneuve's original, but it achieves to keep you on the screen. There are really good heart-pumping scenes that beautifully blended with the score in its convoluted plot. Just like in the first movie, the story gets darker and darker. It reflects real-life situations, that's why it's so dreary and compelling. All the events is a buildup to our main story. It all ties together perfectly in the end. And even though key cast member Emily Blunt no longer here, the movie stands alone as a powerful modern-day Western, thanks to the Josh Brolin, Benicio del Toro, and Taylor Sheridan who also penned the screenplay of the first movie.

I'll definitely watch this again.

Sequels typically strive to go bigger and badder than the original. This sequel is no exception. This issue with attempting to up the ante is that it often causes sequels to lose sight of what made the original special. Again, this sequel is no exception.

For some reason that I still don't understand, 'Sicario: Day of the Soldado' opens with coverage of Somali pirates, Mexican-United States border crossings, and graphic scenes of ISIS suicide bombers that will leave you unsettled for an uncomfortably long time. Government agents presume that all these terrorist efforts are connected. They're not.

The film's inclusion of these scenes doesn't add layers to the complexity of anti-terrorist or anti-drug efforts (it's unclear if that was ever the intention). Instead, the scenes only serve to offer some of the BANG BANG moments that sequels seem to require.

There's an emptiness, a pointlessness to the violence-that should be the point of the film. "The war on drugs" is a war without an opponent, and the U.S. is fighting an unwinnable fight. The violence only begets greater violence, one immoral acts leads to dozens more like it, and everyone becomes dirty in the end. This film has no heroes.

I wish that's what this movie was about, but it misses the point. It lacks the perspective and awareness of the first 'Sicario' film. The action in this film is well shot and exciting, same as the first film, but all subtle yet crucial details that made the first film excellent are wrong in this one.

The acting saves the movie from failure. Josh Brolin is excellent once again as the smirking tough guy government agent, and Benicio Del Toro is award-worthy as Alejandro, the sicario. Though he has taken frustrating character development leaps since the first film, Del Toro is nonetheless commanding, angry and tactful. Mercifully, he also provides a few drops of humanity into a movie in desperate need of some. Most actors lack the versatility to successfully transition between all these emotions. But this is Benicio Del Toro.

If you're a huge fan of Del Toro, Brolin or this genre of film, consider seeing it in the theater. Otherwise, wait until you can watch it at home.

Sicario 2: Soldado (released in North America as Sicario: Day of the Soldado) is a sequel to Denis Villeneuve's Sicario (2015). And if ever a film didn't scream "sequel", it was that one. Apart from the fact that it was only a modest box-office hit (grossing $84.9 million against a $30 million budget, in an era when the only films that become franchises must gross $800 billion in the first five minutes of their release), the storyline was carried to a fairly natural conclusion - Alejandro Gillick (Benicio Del Toro), protected by his CIA handler Matt Graver (Josh Brolin), successfully manipulated naïve and idealistic CIRG officer Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) into helping him exact revenge for the murder of his wife and daughter at the hands of drug baron Fausto Alarcón (Julio Cesar Cedillo). The film concluded with Graver getting what he wanted, Gillick getting revenge, and Macer in possession of a more realistic, if bitter, understanding of how the US conducts its affairs in Mexico.

A sequel felt wholly unnecessary. But a sequel is what we have. When a suicide bombing in Kansas kills fifteen people, the US government authorise Graver to adopt "extreme measures" to combat Mexican drug cartels, who are suspected of smuggling the terrorists across the border. Deciding to instigate a war between the two major cartels, Graver recruits Gillick to assassinate a high-profile lawyer for the Matamoros cartel while Graver and his team 'kidnap' Isabel Reyes (Isabela Merced), the daughter of the kingpin of Matamoros' rival. Taking her to Texas, Graver and Gillick then 'rescue' her in a false flag operation, making it appear she was kidnapped by her father's enemies. As they transport her back to Mexico, Gillick begins to bond with her. However, after they cross the border, the Mexican police escorts double-cross them, and Isabel flees into the desert, pursued by Gillick. Meanwhile, the US government determines that two of the suicide bombers from Kansas were domestic terrorists, and thus were not smuggled into the country. With this mind, to help quell tensions with Mexico, Secretary of Defense James RIley (Matthew Modine orders the CIA to abandon the mission, much to Garver's disgust.

With the first film wrapping up so neatly, the announcement of a sequel seemed like a typical Hollywood cash grab, one which would most likely crap all over the legacy of the truly excellent original. However, as bits and pieces of info regarding the sequel began to filter through, it started to feel less and less like the usual Hollywood knock-off we're all used to seeing. For starters, Taylor Sheridan would return as sole-writer, in a script that would not go in what, for many, might seem the only real direction in which to take the story - Macer getting revenge for Graver and Gillick using her. Instead, Macer wouldn't even appear, as the script would instead focus on pseudo-antagonists Gillick and Graver. To this end, the only other actors who would also return would be Raoul Max Trujillo as Rafael, one of Gillick's contacts in Mexico, and Jeffrey Donovan as Steve Foraing, Graver's number two. The big concern for a lot of people, however, was who would replace the irritatingly talented Villeneuve in the director's chair. And so it was another welcome bit of news when the man chosen was Stefano Sollima, the Italian director of A.C.A.B. - All Cops Are Bastards (2012) and Suburra (2015), as well as most of the episodes in the first season of Gomorrah (2014).

Okay, so first things first. Soldado isn't a patch on Sicario. Not even close (and, needless to say, there's nothing here to come anywhere near that dinner table scene). And there are some problems which were largely absent first time around. For example, the narrative suffers slightly from the absence of Macer, not insofar as she herself is irreplaceable, but more in the sense that the audience no longer has a surrogate. Because we know who Graver and Gillick really are this time around, there is obviously no point in the film playing its cards close to its chest, and so it adapts a more balls-to-the-wall, damn-the-torpedoes approach. This renders the narrative more morally simplistic than the first film. In tandem with this, perhaps wisely, Sheridan has written Soldado as a more conventional action-thriller than Sicario, but this has the knock-on effect that when the bullets start flying, as they do on several occasions, all the political/moral back-and-forth is made to seem nothing more than the material that gets us from one shootout to the next. Additionally, there's an element of repetition, as Isabel is traded off from one group to the next, and one definitely gets a sense of déjà vu, as she becomes a metaphorical cog in the screenwriter's machinery. Also, although Solima's direction is good (with that resume, how could he not get the gritty tone right), it's not as sharp as Villeneuve's. Finally, and this is a small point, the title of the film translates as Hitman 2: Soldier (or Hitman: Day of the Soldier in North America). This makes not a lick of sense, and instead sounds like a 90s action movie starring Michael Dudikoff.

However, for all that, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The script is sharp, relevant (references to a spineless POTUS undermining intelligence operations will be sure to please at least half the audience), gruff, and cool. With the two Sicario films, Hell or High Water (2016), Wind River (2017), and Yellowstone (2018), Sheridan is fast becoming one of Hollywood's most accomplished writers. The film also stars two of the coolest men on the planet being masculine and suppressing their emotions. Del Toro never so much as even hints at cracking a smile, whilst Brolin has lost some of the sardonic dismissiveness he possessed in the first film, but none of the bluster or self-confidence. All things considered, for a film that never seemed to have any real reason to exist, this is a cracking piece of storytelling, and has me already looking forward to the next instalment.

Okay, so this doesn't come close to the first movie in the series. But, it comes close enough to being close that it's much more than watchable. It's actually a very good movie. If it was a standalone movie and Sicario never happened, people would more appreciative. Del Toro is his usual badass self. The cartels and U.S. law enforcement are brutal, per the usual. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys fast action.

My first review: Loved the first Sicario. Raw and different. This time I almost walked out of the cinema. Really bad. Could not believe its the same screenwriter. The story is really thin (and short). The overacting by Isabela Moner was too much on many moments. May not be her fault, but the director. Benico and Josh did an excellent job, but the movie is just bad. Most annoying is the rating her. The first 21 (!!) gave it a 10/10. The Godfather Part II came to seven (7). So something is really wrong. Really annoying because I really trust IMDB.

Struggling to understand the sub 6 scores.

This isn't meant to be a popcorn die hard style action flick. Instead it shows the dark and seedy sides in the cartel and Gov't conflict in both sides of the border.

Really hope there is a 3rd instalment made

Not as good the the first one but held my attention throughout. If you can bear the plot holes and just go with it then definitely worth a watch. Benicio as always is great to watch and most of the cast do a great job. I'd recommend it if you enjoyed the first one.

Absolutely love the first 'Sicario', a strong contender for Denis Villeneuve's (have a great personal admiration for him) best and a tour-De-force of film-making. It is superbly well made, directed and acted, is tightly written, tense and uncompromising in atmosphere.

So when hearing that there was going to be a sequel, part of me was excited. Due to Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro returning, as well as Taylor Sheridan as writer, and being intrigued by the concept. Part of me was also apprehensive, with it not being as acclaimed critically and whether the new cinematographer, director and composer would do well filling big shoes. Friend word of mouth was positive and it actually looked good, so that was enough to make me see it. Am so glad of giving it a chance, for me 'Sicario: Soldado' had a lot to live up to and managed to be almost as great as its predecessor, definitely one of my favourite recent film viewings and compares favourably with other 2018 films seen so far.

Catherine Keener and Matthew Modine are basically window-dressing but 'Sicario: Soldado's' main, and only big one, problem is the ending (or last ten minutes), which strained credulity and was both rushed and anti-climactic.

However, even with a different focus (focusing less on the drug war compared to the first film) but the spirit, basic core and amorality present before are still maintained and doesn't radically change much and things are elaborated upon..

'Sicario: Soldado' is impeccably made for starters, the setting is both audacious and visceral in showing the horrors and brutality of the setting and the editing is tight, stylish and enhances the brutal atmosphere. The cinematography is not Roger Deakins, but there are no signs of slouching with Dariusz Wolski whose cinematography is just as stunning and dark in grit, doing almost as amazing a job at bringing out the visceral horror.

The music score is haunting and pulse-pulsating, one can actually feel their heart beat with tension and anticipation. The sound editing is suitably authentic and Taylor Sheridan's script is just as tightly structured and complex as before. Stefano Sollima's direction has class and matches the beautiful darkness and especially the hard edge Villeneuve showed in 'Sicario' without being an imitation.

The story is just as taut and compelling, if not quite as energetic, having lost none of the brutality and edge that was there before. The setting, atmosphere and subject are neither overdone or sugar-coated, instead being suitably murky and dark. There are brilliant moments here, especially the suicide bomb attack which was nail-biting and superbly staged. The shocking execution scene and the adept choreography of the gun battles also impress.

All the performances are never less than strong. Benecio Del Toro is nothing short of extraordinary, he is absolutely chilling but brings a conflicted edge that gives Alejandro complexity and stops him from being one-dimensional. Josh Brolin doesn't have as much to do this time round but all the qualities his performance had in the first film are present here. Isabela Moner more than holds her own and has impressive moments, her character easily could have been annoying but actually found myself feeling for her more than once.

Overall, a great much better than expected sequel to a masterwork. 9/10 Bethany Cox

There's something very clearly missing from Sicario 2, and that's a character that the audience can root for. Even though Emily Blunt was nowhere near the standout in the first film, she played a character that the audience could root for and was essentially how you followed the plot of the story. However, Day of the Soldado doesn't have that. Instead, we watch Brolin and Del Toro play one corrupt side and the other side consists of the cartels. I found myself not being able to figure if I should really be rooting for the protagonists. And perhaps that's kind of the idea. In fact, most of Taylor Sheridan's previous work/characters often have significant flaws so that they seem more realistic and conflicted. I wonder how this film would have played out with Blunt returning or a character similar to her. Don't get me wrong, there are some gorgeously shot sequences, thrilling gun fights, and great performances. But it's missing the human element and doesn't feel as captivating as the first film. But even with that said, I'll take a third film any day of the week.

6.3/10

If you love moderately paced realistic action, I mean not the kind of action where bullets fly of the main hero and all kinds of unbelievable nonsense is happening, but the kind of action, where you have the time to enjoy every scene and the plot is actually pretty believable - this is the one.

I enjoyed every bit of it: from the atmosphere that doesn't really rush you, but doesn't bore you either. Nothing is too slow, and what is much more important, nothing is too fast - which is so common in action scenes. My respect to the video editor - he's done a marvelous job. The composer is also brilliant - the music is so dark, atmospheric and beautiful.

And all the main characters in this play are lovable. I mean, the main studs are just so cool. They are like the definition of toughness. If you take guys like Rambo, Batman or Luke Skywalker - they are not even close to that definition cause of the unrealistic atmosphere. You know you're been tricked watching those too good to be true kind of guys. In this movie - it's pure joy to watch that manliness brought on screen.

So, go watch it. I first thought: too many good reviews, those people aren't real, but I'll give it a try anyway. Now I realize it's actually a great piece of dark cinema. And that's the kind of cinema I usually enjoy the most. So, my thumbs are pointing up. Loved it and will definitely watch the next part, when it's out.

Sicario: Day of the Soldado is a movie that clings on to the best elements of the original, but was not brave enough to try something new. The score, cinematography and the performances were spot on, keeping the viewers on the edge of their seats, however the story telling falls slightly short. Despite the writer being the same for the both the movies, this movie lacks cohesiveness as there is too much going on. Also unlike the first, with Emily Blunt's character, there is no one for the viewers to anchor to or walk them through the movie. Despite all that, there is still the same toughness and tension throughout the movie and the score was brilliant even without the late Johann Johannsson. To conclude, the movie is a visual treat with some brilliantly choreographed action sequences and is a must watch if you are a fan of the original.

Where the original Sicario was carried by the suspence created by the contrasting naive FBI-agent Macy (Emily Blunt), the cynical CIA-agent Matt (Josh Brolin) and the vengeful Alejandro (Benicio del Toro) as ruthless sicario turned against the drug carlets operating along the US-Mexico border, the sequal lacks this tension and becomes an analogue and rather predictable story. Decent acting performances, and attempts to recreate the original dark athmosphere cannot save the weak plot, where several interesting issues launched at the start are not followed through. This makes for a rather unfulfilling experience, despite hints of another sequal.

The first Sicario film was a surprise to me, and I enjoyed it for its slick thrills but also its darkness and twists and turns; like many I looked forward to the sequel - or rather, the next film, since this isn't really a sequel so much as a film with the same characters. The film places the characters into an unofficial war with the cartels where US forces try to engineer wars between the cartels to make them weaken and distract each other. This action is started due to terrorists being brought into the US as part of human smuggling run by the cartels - which gives the film an opening few minutes that matches the first film for impact.

From this very topical and heated place, the film actually plays out a fairly pedestrian plot that gets progressively smaller after a certain point. It delivers quite a few solid and slick sequences along the way, and mostly the impact of these carries the film. It isn't as good as it appears though, and the plotting doesn't really build - and it is disrupted by some very lazy writing where convenience keeps things going, no matter how unlikely it is. Such things do hurt the film, and took me out of the immersion I felt in the first film; in particular the ending I thought was pretty weak as a conclusion to this film, albeit opening it for the third film that we all knew was in the works before this one was even released.

The cast add to the sense of quality, and the performances are suitably tough and committed. The production standards are high, and it is easy to see the money and effort up there. It is just a shame that at its core, the writing is not as tough and engaging as everything else would have you believe. Still a solidly tense affair that is too slick to not be worth a look, but not as good as it seems.

I have not seen the first installment of this series, but read a quick TL:DR on my way to the theatre. I'm hoping that I was able to still capture the full experience and depth of the characters that director Stefano Sollima aimed to create. As always, I am impressed with Josh Brolins performance. I feel that he hasn't had an opportunity to truly show what he is capable of beyond his CGI Thanos performance, so I will be attending each film he is in until I see it. Sicario itself is vicious, personal, and human, the latter element suiting it well. I look forward to the next film in this series.

While in itself, Sicario: Day of the Soldado is not a bad film - in fact it's a pretty solid action-thriller. However, had it been a stand-alone film it would be alright.

But since it is bearing the Sicario name - and officialy labeled a sequel - one has to compare it somewhat to the first film, which was pretty much flawless.

Making a sequel and replacing the original director and cinematographer was the biggest mistake you could make.

When you take away the the directing of Villeneuve and the cinematography of Deakins - the very strengths of the first film (along with the music score of course) - you no longer have the same magic of the first Sicario film.

As a result, this sequel sadly falls under the generic Hollywood-action-thriller category - with bad dialogue, plot holes, a mess of a story at times and two poorly written (and acted) supporting characters.

In contrast, Villeneuve's Sicario is close to perfect - so if you're a fan of the original, this sequel is not worth a watch.

I still remembering going to the cinema all by myself to see Sicario back in 2015. I didn't bring any one with me because it was a last minute call, I was just studding about the Mexican cartel at that time when the movie was released and decided to watch Sicaio to get a better sense of the situation. The new 'Sicaio day of the Soldado' brings back the two famous actors Brolan and Del Toro (Minus Emily Blunt...uh well). This time they have to fight against the people who smuggle terrorists through the Mexican border. As an Israeli citizen, I have experienced terrorism in my own home town and can relate to it very easily. I have to say that Soldado have successfuly brought that atmosphere of terror in a very realistic way. I enjoyed it very much, it's darker than it's presedor but the tense and plot twists are strong, not to mention the performences of the great casts. A+

In an attempt to destabilise and weaken the Mexican drug cartels, US federal agent Matt Graver starts a war between rival cartels. His methods prove to be quite extreme.

The first Sicario movie was great, and surprisingly so. It looked like it was going to be a fairly standard action-based cop drama. However, the plot was great, filled with unforeseen twists and turns and a large dose of mystery and intrigue. Director Denis Villeneuve built the intensity well, creating a slow-burn effect. Completing all this were some solid performances and realistic and gritty action sequences.

This movie, while also written by Taylor Sheridan, is not directed by Denis Villeneuve...and it shows. This film is far more action-based with little in the way of intrigue or mystery. Rather than cerebral the plot is more conventional action-drama.

The action scenes are very good though and there is a decent amount of character engagement, especially towards the end. All this makes it entertaining and watchable enough.

While I did enjoy the original 'Sicario' I admit I found it a little slow paced and tedious in places. As with most sequels 'Sicario: Day of the Soldado' comes out with guns blazing (literally) trying to one up its predecessor. The first 2/3 of this film are electric and everything I wanted them to be. Then sadly the final 1/3 couldn't deliver the knock-out punch. It went down some channels that I wasn't particularly fond of, and ignored some that I would have loved to have seen. Don't get me wrong though, this is a very entertaining and well made film.

Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro are perfectly cast in these films. They are legitimately bad-ass. The rest of the cast however leave a little bit to be desired. Catherine Keener in particular was miscast and couldn't hold her own in any scene she was in. It didn't ruin the movie, more so it was just a distraction when she was on screen.

The action scenes in this movie are quite incredible. The are shot in such creative and powerful ways. Only lacking in some casting errors and trailing off a little in the final 1/3, this film has a tremendous amount of watchability factor.

Good action sequences.. But we miss villenueve s touch.. It s entertaining anyway

I was hoping for something more after seeing the first one, but I was a bit disappointed. The first Sicario had a story, some more complicated situations, this one had some action but it was too simply directed. The actors were great, but I think Denis Villeneuve made a better job than Stefano Solima.