Directed by:
Stefano SollimaScreenplay:
Taylor SheridanCinematography:
Dariusz WolskiComposer:
Hildur GuðnadóttirCast:
Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Isabela Merced, Jeffrey Donovan, Catherine Keener, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Matthew Modine, Elijah Rodriguez, Shea Whigham (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
Soldado, the drug war on the US – Mexico border has escalated as the cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the US border. To fight the war, federal agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) reteams with the mercurial Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro). (Lionsgate UK)
Videos (13)
Reviews (14)
Josh Brolin and his hitman Benicio Del Toro set out to rid Mexico of the drug cartels, but the mission gets a little out of hand and the consequences can be very painful... Sicario 2 is a good slow-burn thriller, but in all respects it loses a little to the first. It's still a proper manly film, though, and a very tough one at that. It's enough for a good thriller, but don't expect an exceptional film this time.
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Josh Brolin is, for at least the second time in his life, "special" in a movie that is unflinching, but one that is neither better, nor as good as the previous. Sollima knows how to strike mafia poses, ruthless glances, and climactic action passages. He can create a solid atmosphere and stunning scenes of destruction (the convenience store bombing). But where the first film managed to tell a story with global subtext and issues, the second film tells a simple personal story of individuals, where the global scope serves only as a kind of framing device – present in the image, but quite uninvolved and self-serving. The character of Benicio Del Toro is underused and even less exploited, but the fans of Matt Graver will be in for a treat. Brolin excels especially towards the end, and not just because cinematographer Wolski impressively allows him to. He says a lot with his eyes, and even more with his gestures. Things are set up for another sequel, and it will probably turn out well, but the first one is a film going in a completely different direction than this sequel.
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The admirable intentions are unfortunately overshadowed by the routine of the execution and the script (especially in relation to the expectations). The story offers enough action in the space of two hours, confronts its protagonists in an interesting way, and ends in a Hollywoodesque and daring fashion, but I still wasn’t satisfied. The characters remain woefully underdeveloped and superficial, and the plot doesn't escalate as a self-contained complex work, but rather as an introductory episode of something much larger – something I'm still willing to forgive in the future, if a third part is made that will close and complete everything. What I’m not forgiving, however, is the lacklustre staging and the clumsy development of the story, which consists of a series of stacked plans and missions whose (non-)fulfilment only creates the backdrop for an interesting and dramatic, but unsatisfyingly ramified conflict between morality and pragmatism in a world without rules. Once again Brolin and Benicio's acting is top-notch and it’s their characters that make me look forward to the likely conclusion, but I'm hoping for a much more personal and thoughtful approach, this deep-faced yet emotionally cold action flick won't leave a great impression... 60%
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Bigger, but not heavier. Sheridan repeats his interest in macho characters a lot, as if he is able to garner less and less from the dark environment of contemporary America. He focuses only on the depressing scenes this time, which do not form as much of a devastating and mysterious whole. But the craft of Soldado is very good, making it a thriller with tempo and atmosphere. Even in the strongest moments, however, it still looks more like a successful imitation of a film that managed to make the audience vibrate with tension below the surface. A lot of Soldado happens on the surface, but that doesn't take the wind out of Sicaro's sails. Benicio Del Toro's laser vision and lawless landscape are still here.
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Even though at first glance, and maybe even after the first scene, everything seems the same, Sicario 2: Soldado doesn't reach the heights of its predecessor. It can't, because the majority of the key participants from before are missing. Denis Villeneuve and his perfectly convincing direction, Joe Walker with his precise editing, Jóhann Jóhannsson's pulsating music, and above all, Roger Deakins' engaging camera, which turned an above-average experience into something unforgettable. And all of them have now been replaced, except for the key acting duo, and at least Taylor Sheridan returns. Once again, he has decided to cut deep, but this time he lacks the more human dimension that resonated with the viewer in the first film thanks to Kate's character. Her successor, in the form of the constantly bedraggled Isabela Merced, cannot handle a similar task because she only serves the plot without getting her own scene, at the expense of the machinations, action, and stubbornness of Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro. As a standalone genre film, Stefano Sollima's vision certainly holds up, thanks to the charisma of the aforementioned actors, but as a sequel to a film that shook the cinema three years ago, it is damn too little.
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