Sicario: Day Of The Soldado

Sicario: Day Of The Soldado , the sequel to Sicario, takes the stakes up a notch in various ways, though not as rich in a cohesive tapestry as the first. Returning are CIA military operatives Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro taking on the challenges of the American-Mexican border and it's complexities in the drug cartels, immigration, and terrorism.  At the helm, is Italian director Stefano Sollima (Gomorrah) who is no stranger to these type of films.  The Sicario films are a delicate balance between straight no chaser, visceral action, dissimilar stories colliding, and a non-preachy but harsh look at the issues faced by people on many sides of this American and Mexican reality.  This is supplemented by really interesting and excellent camera work on a rich landscape that really takes an audience into this harsh world.  In addition and throughout, a menacing soundtrack envelopes this film like a heartbeat, as the plot this time around reveals more about the characters of del Toro and Brolin.  If that alone weren't enough to contend with, the cast of characters are counterbalanced by the addition of two young Hispanic actors integral to the story and the underlying morale.  Much like in art mirroring real life, they aren't utilized as well as they should have been given how much material stated and not, the movie is taking on.