Sicario: Day of the Soldado

Dir: Stefano Sollima

2018

****

2015’s Sicario took everyone by surprise upon its release but I think I’m more surprised it got a sequel. Writer Taylor Sheridan suggested that the original Sicario was the first film of his American Frontier trilogy (which was followed by Hell or High Water and Wind River), so I don’t think I ever expected a follow up – even when one was announced just weeks after the first film was released. When I saw that Denis Villeneuve would not be returning I was fearful and then when I saw that Emily Blunt wasn’t returning either I was certain that this would just be another men-with-guns action movie but I’m pleased to see I was wrong. I love Denis Villeneuve and Emily Blunt but Stefano Sollima directed the film beautifully and to be honest, Blunt’s character told her story in the first film anyway. Taylor Sheridan stated in interviews that he could not think of a reason to keep Blunt’s character, Agent Macer, in the second film, and that her character's story had already come full circle in the first installment. Blunt’s character brought the audience into the story but now that the world of Sicario is known to us, we no longer need her. Instead, Sheridan focuses on Benicio del Toro’s Alejandro Gillick, who remained fairly mysterious in the first film. Only del Toro, Josh Brolin and Jeffrey Donovan return from the first film but to be honest, Sheridan’s return is the most important. Sadly, Jóhann Jóhannsson, the composer of the first film, died in February 2018. The film is dedicated to his memory. His score to the first film was amazing but Hildur Guðnadóttir composed the sequel's score due to his experience collaborating with Jóhannsson on the first film as a cello soloist and he does a fine job. I did worry about the story at the beginning though and wondered whether it was a story that was needed as the first few minutes sees a suicide bombing in a Kansas supermarket killing fifteen people. The United States government responds by authorizing CIA agent Matt Graver (Brolin) to apply extreme measures to combat Mexican drug cartels, who are suspected of smuggling the terrorists across the border. Graver and the Department of Defense decide the best option is to instigate a war between the major cartels, and Graver recruits black operative Alejandro Gillick (del Toro) for the mission. Gillick assassinates a high-profile lawyer of the Matamoros cartel in Mexico City while Graver and his team kidnap Isabel Reyes (Isabela Moner), the daughter of the kingpin of their rival, in a false flag operation. Graver, Gillick, and their team take Isabel to Texas and stage a "rescue" with the DEA and local police to make her think she was kidnapped by her father's enemies. Gillick bonds with Isabel and the team makes plans to transport her back to Mexico, intending to leave her in territory controlled by her father's rivals in order to further escalate the conflict. However, the Mexican police escort for their trip back across the border double-cross them and attack the American vehicles. Graver and his team kill dozens of Mexican policemen to escape the ambush. Isabel flees the scene amidst the chaos and Gillick goes after her alone. Meanwhile, the American government determines that at least two of the suicide bombers in Kansas City were actually domestic terrorists, not foreign nationals and thus were not smuggled into the United States by the cartels. In order to quell tensions with Mexico, the Secretary of Defense orders the CIA to abandon the mission and erase all proof of American involvement by having Isabel killed as part of the cover-up. Graver in turn orders Gillick to kill Isabel, but he refuses and turns rogue to keep her alive. Graver assembles his team to hunt them down in Mexico. Gillick and Isabel move to enter the United States disguised as illegal immigrants, as it would be illegal for the CIA to execute Isabel on American soil. Miguel (Elijah Rodriguez), a young Mexican-American coyote (who had made appearances throughout the movie), recognizes Gillick from a previous encounter in a parking lot in Texas. He alerts his boss and Gillick and Isabel are captured. Miguel is forced to execute Gillick. He shoots Gillick and the gang leaves him for dead. Miguel is disappointed with the gang and abandons them shortly after. Graver and his team track down the Mexican gang and Isabel with the help of a GPS transmitter inserted into her shoe, and kill all the gang members. Graver decides to bring Isabel back to the United States and put her in witness protection rather than following his orders. Meanwhile, Gillick wakes up finding the bullet went through his cheek, takes one of the gang members' cars and drives for the border; killing a couple of criminals after encountering them along the road. One year later, Gillick has recovered from his injuries. He locates Miguel and asks him if he wants to be a sicario. Catherine Keener stars as Cynthia Foards, the head of the DEA operations and Matthew Modine co-stars as the Secretary of Defense James Riley. The men-with-guns story quickly takes on the deceitful tone of the first film and builds on it brilliantly. What I like about Sicario is that it tells it like it is and doesn’t hide away from the fact that in these instances there are no real winners. It is not an altogether nice story and it is pretty violent but it is worthy. It is grim but necessary. Stefano Sollima’s style matched that of the first film but I think he added his own elements. There is said to be a third film and if this is the case then maybe they should have another director bring something new to the franchise. It is only slightly a shame that Villeneuve didn’t return but it was only because he was making Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 – so I’m actually rather glad he didn’t.