Sicario 2 review with Rob Ryan

3rd July 2018

Admittedly it was not until last Monday when I finally sat down and watched the first Sicario for the first time as I missed it during its theatrical run and just never got around to watching it on DVD. But as the sequel was coming out it only made sense to find out what was so special about it that it would warrant a second film and to my surprise the first Sicario is a really good action thriller that’s slow, tense and very rewarding but also very insightful to the dark and depressing war between the US and the Mexican drug cartels, but what surprised me the most about the first Sicario is that its one of the most morally grey films I have ever seen, which made me a little worried about following these characters for the sequel given the amounts of unethical acts they commit in the first film. There where also concerns of director Denis Villeneuve and world famous cinematographer Roger Deakins not returning to helm the second instalment in the franchise as the paring of those two was the reason responsible for the films slick and nuanced direction and cinematography.

Fortunately I’m happy to report that Sicario 2 Soldado while not as good as the first is a very solid sequel that does a good job replicating the slick style and bleak tone of the first film while also delivering an intense action thriller. As the stakes are raised a little in comparison to the first film there is a little bit more action involved but one of the most impressive things about the first film and this second instalment is that the action and the dialogue conversations don’t undercut each other, compared to a lesser film of its sort where the action would be constant, not letting room for character development or quieter character interactions to breathe. The Sicario films treat the audience with a little bit more respect and there is no action unless if its integral to the development of the plot. In some instances the audience is left to try and fill in the blanks of character growth and especially are left to discuss the themes political messages without the film beating you over the head through exposition dialogue. The action when it comes is exceptionally shot and directed and you feel every bullet that comes at the character’s faces and even when the action isn’t present the characters and performances keep things going. Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin remain in top form in their roles and both have excellent chemistry. Speaking of the characters Sicario 2 gives them more growth like a good sequel should. Where in some cases you see them in a different light compared to the first film and go through some kind of transition that affects them in effective way’s. With Brolin’s Sense of authority and matter of fact attitude towards the characters still being the highlight of each scene he’s in and then there’s Del Toro’s Alejandro. The amount of what is going on behind his eyes and all that silence is enough to send shivers down your spine.

So what holds Soldado back from helming a light to the first Sicario? Well for one is that while the film follows the tone of the original film it doesn’t really have the subtlety that Villeneuve was able to pull of. This is evident in the musical score. The late Johan Johansson who scored the first Sicario is of course not back for this project and while the score to Soldado fits the tone of the first much like the direction and cinematography the music gets a little overbearing in a lot of instances. Unlike the first film where music was minimal but effective when used, the score to Soldado gets a little too intrusive that it made me miss the more silent moments of the characters driving across where the chances of being shot was imminent. Another thing that holds this film back is the ending. This is where things get hard because I can’t give away my problems with the film without spoiling what happens in the third act. But what I will say is that there is an event in this film that would have worked more effectively as the ending but then the film keeps going just so it can set up the third one. Which is a shame because if it had ended at the point where it should have ended it would have been a lot more poignant and powerful but the film ruins it by going on for another 10 minutes by subverting what you saw earlier. While I love subversion in storytelling here it was used very poorly that ruined the film for me.

Sicario 2 is solid sequel that works as a compelling follow up that amps up the stakes as well as the action and while the ending left a bad taste in my mouth, I’m still somewhat curious about what they do if they make a third one. Although I’m not going to put my hopes too high.

Rating: 7/10

Posted by Ben Fry at 10:09am