Sicario: Day of the Soldado (Review)
Sicario: Day of the Soldado Is a Chilling Thriller Putting America on Blast.
Sicario: Day of the Soldado is the first sequel to one of Taylor Sheridan’s American Frontier Trilogy that includes Wind River, Hell or High Water, and, of course, the first Sicario. Like the original film, Day of the Soldado continues the tale of the CIA’s war on the drug cartels of Mexico. This time though the gloves come off and instead of it being a movie about a hitman, it’s about an all-out war. This perfectly sums up the difference between the two, as the original was surgical and precise in its storytelling, while the newest movie is a bulldozing force of shock and awe.
Josh Brolin has had an incredibly busy year so far with Avengers: Infinity War and Deadpool 2. While those films might have had a higher box office draw than Sicario: Day of the Soldado, Brolin’s performance in it is by far and away his most fulfilling of 2018 (so far). He returns as Matt Graver, a CIA agent who probably doesn’t exist on paper for all extents and purposes. Graver is a man who will get down in the dirt to do what needs to be done all for the sake of the good old U.S. of A. For him the ends justify the means and he is more than morally flexible enough to use whatever means necessary. Brolin’s take on the character is one who is most at home in the worst places on the planet. His first appearance in Sicario: Day of the Soldado says it all as he walks casually through a CIA Black Site in cargo shorts and Crocs. The ease in which he does his job is almost gut-wrenching.
While I have to hand it to Brolin, it’s Del Toro who shines as he reprises his role of Alejandro, one of the most inspired movie hitmen of recent memory. There’s an unspoken intensity that comes with his character. A man with a tortured past who has given up his soul in the name of vengeance. His character is not so much one that looks at others when they speak to him but looks through them. Del Toro is calm and collected even as things go to hell around him. There are moments in Sicario: Day of the Soldado that he manages to send shivers down your spine without saying a word. While he might not be the most physically intimidating person in the film, Del Toro has an electrifying energy to him.
The biggest downfall when it comes to Sicario: Day of the Soldado is that it tries too hard to humanize its characters. I know it sounds strange to say that, but hear me out. When it came to the first film, Emily Blunt acted as a buffer to Del Toro and Brolin’s characters. They were mysterious and enigmatic. Two men you couldn’t quite get a read on until the very end. This time around though they wear their intentions on their sleeves and it completely undermines them. In the film, they’re starting an all-out war with drug cartels and unfortunately, they undergo character growth in all the wrong ways. The story itself would have been more than enough to carry this movie, but the emotional vulnerability of these two feels shoehorned in and awkward. Not to mention there are several subplots that don’t really contribute much to the overall story as well.
It’s hard to feel patriotic these days with all the messes America keeps finding itself in and Sicario: Day of the Soldado makes it even harder. While it might not have the positive message that Coco does regarding our neighbors to the south, it’s still a movie that shows just how ridiculous the relationship is. While the film might be weighed down with subplots that are unnecessary to the overall tone of the movie, it’s impossible to ignore the social commentary that it attempts with them. Personally, I found it to be a bit off-putting at times because it seems to embrace the idea that so many Mexicans end up being corrupt or criminals. However, it’s also very clear how this country can back people into a corner. In a way, this Sicario film shows that our current attitude and techniques are more along the lines of self-fulfilling prophecies. When people are constantly treated like criminals, then they often have no choice but to become exactly that to survive.
Sicario: Day of the Soldado has a lot in common with its predecessor. Both the narrative and visual tones are very similar (despite there being a different director), meaning that fans of the first movie will be pleasantly surprised at how familiar the sequel feels. However, it’s attempt to raise the stakes doesn’t quite pay off in the way I had hoped. Everything starts off great, but the twists and turns it takes soon has the movie all turned around. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed Sicario: Day of the Soldado quite a bit. It just didn’t leave me feeling as fulfilled as the original did. Here’s hoping they get it right again in the inevitable sequel.
