Josh Brolin’s character of Matt Graver in “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” is asked what the best moneymaking operation is by the Mexican cartels. Without hesitation, he says years ago, he would have said cocaine. Today, it is people.
That massive shift in financial reasoning serves as the basis for the sequel to the 2015 feature film “Sicario.” The first film focused on the war against the drug business through the eyes of FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) desperately trying to hang onto her ideals. “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” explores the lucrative world of crossing the Mexican-American border through the eyes of a federal agent (Josh Brolin) who gave up his ideals countless gun battles ago.
Graver’s plan is simple. He turns again to the mysterious Alejandro (Benicio del Toro), whose family was murdered by a cartel kingpin, to help him escalate a war between the cartels. The plan includes kidnapping a kingpin’s daughter, Isabela (Isabela Moner), and making it look like a competing cartel committed the act.
Just as in the first film, the strength of the sequel comes from standout performances and the storyline. Where “Day of the Soldado” comes up short is a major piece missing from the main players, and the script by Taylor Sheridan (who also wrote the script for “Sicario”) loses focus in the third act.
It’s impossible not to recognize how commanding both Brolin and del Toro are on screen. Brolin fills the screen with an emotional and physical presence that leaves no doubt this is the man you want when there is dirty work to be done.
Equally as impressive is del Toro as the soft-spoken human answer to the angel of death. He can be as emotionally cold as a Titanic-sinking iceberg or show warmth, especially in the scenes with the kidnapped young girl. He plays emotions in a quieter way than Brolin but makes his points with the same force.
While Moner adds a needed emotional element, “Day of the Soldado” suffers from the absence of Emily Blunt. Her character brought a deep feeling of humanity to the first film that is missing this time.
Her presence would have given Sheridan’s script a little more balance and focus. His script becomes so possessed by the notion of a very dark world where no one is to be trusted that the plot threads are either lost or take an unexplained turn.
Sheridan also gets bogged down with the storyline about how the kidnapping will create problems with the cartels. He uses plenty of time showing the spark to ignite the war through the kidnapping, but the expected explosion never fully forms.
The worst moment is the ending. Not much can be said in an effort to avoid spoilers, but Sheridan’s deep commitment to keeping the story as grounded in reality as possible gets completed overruled.
“Sicario: Day of the Soldado” has a few small problems, but overall, it’s a tension-filled ride given strength through standout performances by Brolin, del Toro and Moner.
MOVIE REVIEW
“Sicario: Day of the Soldado”
Grade: B
Starring Josh Brolin, Benicio del Toro and Catherine Keener. Directed by Stefano Sollima.
Rated R for strong violence, bloody images, and language. Check listings for theaters. 2 hours, 2 minutes.
Bottom line: A tension-filled ride with strong performances
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