Sicario: Day of the Soldado

Name: Sicario: Day of the Soldado
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller, Crime
Released: June 29, 2018
Duration: 122 min
Rating: 61
Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Bruno Bichir, Catherine Keener, Christopher Heyerdahl, Elias Garza

2018

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Generally favorable reviews based on 50 Critics

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 143 Ratings

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7.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 143 Ratings

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Sicario: Day Of The Soldado (Trailer 3)

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Movie Details & Credits

Columbia Pictures | Release Date: June 29, 2018

Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Bruno Bichir, Catherine Keener, Christopher Heyerdahl, Elias Garza, Howard Ferguson Jr., Ian Bohen, Isabela Moner, Jake Picking, Jeffrey Donovan, Josh Brolin, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Matthew Modine, Michael Love Toliver, Rachel de la Torre, Shea Whigham, Tsailii Rogers

Movie Facts: The original Sicario made just under $47 million in domestic box office in 2015 and is a Metacritic Must-See with a Metascore of 82.

Summary: In the drug war, there are no rules – and as the cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the US border, federal agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) calls on the mysterious Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro), whose family was murdered by a cartel kingpin, to escalate the war in nefarious ways. Alejandro kidnaps the kingpin’s daughter toIn the drug war, there are no rules – and as the cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the US border, federal agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) calls on the mysterious Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro), whose family was murdered by a cartel kingpin, to escalate the war in nefarious ways. Alejandro kidnaps the kingpin’s daughter to inflame the conflict – but when the girl is seen as collateral damage, her fate will come between the two men as they question everything they are fighting for.… Expand

Director: Stefano Sollima

Genre(s): Action, Drama, Thriller, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 122 min

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Awards & Rankings

34	#34 Most Discussed Movie of 2018
44	#44 Most Shared Movie of 2018

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Chicago Sun-Times - Richard Roeper

Jun 28, 2018

This is one of my favorite movies of 2018. Read full review

Uproxx - Mike Ryan

Jun 20, 2018

Sicario: Day of the Soldado is an intense, at times morally ambiguous, and gritty thriller that will leave you wanting more. And, now, Benicio del Toro finally has a franchise of his own. Read full review

The Seattle Times - Katie Walsh

Jun 27, 2018

Sollima’s style is cool and observational. There also are several stunts combined with camera movements that are genuinely jaw-dropping. Read full review

Boston Globe - Peter Keough

Jun 28, 2018

Murky, clunky, but sometimes nihilistically exhilarating. Read full review

Los Angeles Times - Justin Chang

Jun 26, 2018

The trouble with this muscular, fitfully absorbing, confusingly titled action movie — a bigger, brasher and less memorable picture than its predecessor in every respect — is that its cynicism too often feels like a put-on. Read full review

RogerEbert.com - Brian Tallerico

Jun 29, 2018

Some will be turned off by the exploitative violence and some by the shallow storytelling, but what struck me most about “Day of the Soldado” was the predictability of it all. Read full review

Vox - Alissa Wilkinson

Jun 28, 2018

It’s inexcusable for a movie that tries to say daring and surprising things about a very urgent matter of cultural and political importance to be so thuddingly predictable in so many places. Read full review

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User Reviews

CarlosHaz

Jun 29, 2018

Loved this film, I feel like most people thought that this was going to be just another mindless action movie. You have to actually pay attention and understand the message its trying to convey to the audience (us). Im glad it avoided all the typical Hollywood clichés. And the violenceLoved this film, I feel like most people thought that this was going to be just another mindless action movie. You have to actually pay attention and understand the message its trying to convey to the audience (us). Im glad it avoided all the typical Hollywood clichés. And the violence depicted in the film was very intense and had a purpose behind it. Josh Brolin steals the show here, his portrayal of Matt Graver was captivating; you will see far Matt Graver will go to complete mission. Del Toro gave a powerful performance as Alejandro as well. The ending is very bold but also very understanding when you consider the type of characters we are dealing with.… Expand

9 of 13 users found this helpful94

mitokio

Jul 2, 2018

Here's a bold prediction: 95% of people who see and love this movie will never write a review. In my session there were 30 people and 28 of them were men over the age of 50. If you liked the first, you will like this. You will know what to expect. It's complex, gritty, dark, humorless,Here's a bold prediction: 95% of people who see and love this movie will never write a review. In my session there were 30 people and 28 of them were men over the age of 50. If you liked the first, you will like this. You will know what to expect. It's complex, gritty, dark, humorless, engaging, fascinating, at times a little shocking. I've seen weird reviews saying this misses the mark based on where the US-Mexico border situation is. Huh? It's fiction. I also saw complaints that it's clearly setting up for another sequel. Again, huh? The end it really neatly tied together and could be left there, but I really hope not. A trilogy would really play out these character arcs and stories. And this might be one of the very few sequels I've seen where I loved it and really hoped there'll be one more installment.… Expand

6 of 9 users found this helpful63

LamontRaymond

Jun 28, 2018

I was hightly skeptical going into this one, given the absence of Emily Blunt, but I absolutely enjoyed it. Brolin is much better than he was in the first film, and Benicio is killer (excuse the pun) as always. He was born to play this role. I especially love the score, which seems like aI was hightly skeptical going into this one, given the absence of Emily Blunt, but I absolutely enjoyed it. Brolin is much better than he was in the first film, and Benicio is killer (excuse the pun) as always. He was born to play this role. I especially love the score, which seems like a series of above-the-nut 6th string bends (the note you hear at the beginning of Sabbath's "Iron Man"). It's highly effective in setting a mood of dread. The weak link in the otherwise stellar case is Catherine Keener. She brings nothing to that character, and she's usually so good. Even Matthew Modine one-ups her in a fairly flat performance. I should also mention Isabela Moner as the cartel head's daughter - we've seen this role a million times, but she brings something fresh to it.… Expand

4 of 7 users found this helpful43

JPK

Jul 1, 2018

Good But Disappointing
The Script Is a Bit Messy, But It's A Generally Likable Film

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

Bertaut1

Aug 3, 2018

Sicario 2: Soldado [released in North America as Sicario: Day of the Soldado] is a sequel to Denis Villeneuve's Sicario. And if ever a film didn't scream "sequel", it was that one. Apart from the fact that it was only a modest box-office hit (grossing $84.9 million against a $30 millionSicario 2: Soldado [released in North America as Sicario: Day of the Soldado] is a sequel to Denis Villeneuve's Sicario. And if ever a film didn't scream "sequel", it was that one. Apart from the fact that it was only a modest box-office hit (grossing $84.9 million against a $30 million budget, in an era when the only films that become franchises must gross $800 billion in the first five minutes of their release), the storyline was carried to a fairly natural conclusion – Alejandro Gillick (Benicio del Toro), protected by his CIA handler Matt Graver (Josh Brolin), successfully manipulated naïve and idealistic CIRG officer Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) into helping him exact revenge for the murder of his wife and daughter at the hands of drug baron Fausto Alarcón (Julio Cesar Cedillo). The film concluded with Graver getting what he wanted, Gillick getting revenge, and Macer in possession of a more realistic, if bitter, understanding of how the US conducts its affairs in Mexico.

A sequel felt wholly unnecessary, and the announcement of such seemed like a typical Hollywood cash grab, one which would most likely crap all over the legacy of the truly excellent original. However, as bits and pieces of info regarding the sequel began to filter through, it started to feel less and less like the usual Hollywood knock-off we're all used to seeing. For starters, Taylor Sheridan would return as sole-writer, in a script that would not go in what, for many, might seem the only real direction in which to take the story - Macer getting revenge for Graver and Gillick using her. Instead, Macer wouldn't even appear, as the script would instead focus on pseudo-antagonists Gillick and Graver. To this end, the only other actors who would also return would be Raoul Max Trujillo as Rafael, one of Gillick's contacts in Mexico, and Jeffrey Donovan as Foraing, Graver's number two. The big concern for a lot of people, however, was who would replace the irritatingly talented Villeneuve in the director's chair. And so it was another welcome bit of news when the man chosen was Stefano Sollima, the Italian director of ACAB – All Cops Are Bastards and Suburra, as well as most of the episodes in the first season of Gomorra: La serie.

Okay, so first things first. Soldado isn't a patch on Sicario. Not even close (and, needless to say, there's nothing here to come anywhere near that dinner table scene). And there are some problems which were largely absent first time around. For example, the narrative suffers slightly from the absence of Macer, not insofar as she herself is irreplaceable, but more in the sense that the audience no longer has a surrogate. Because we know who Graver and Gillick really are this time around, there is obviously no point in the film playing its cards close to its chest, and so it adapts a more balls-to-the-wall, damn-the-torpedoes approach. This renders the narrative more morally simplistic than the first film. In tandem with this, perhaps wisely, Sheridan has written Soldado as a more conventional action-thriller than Sicario, but this has the knock-on effect that when the bullets start flying, as they do on several occasions, all the political/moral back-and-forth is made to seem nothing more than the material that gets us from one shootout to the next. Additionally, there's an element of repetition, as in their efforts to play two Mexican cartels off against one another, Graver and Gillick kidnap Isabela Reyes (Isabela Moner) in a false flag operation. However, over the course of the rest of the film, as she's traded off from one group to the next, one definitely gets a sense of déjà vu, as she become a metaphorical cog in the screenwriter's machinery. Also, although Solima's direction is good (with that resume, how could he not get the gritty tone right), it's not as sharp as Villeneuve's. Finally, and this is a small point, the title of the film translates as Hitman 2: Soldier [or Hitman: Day of the Soldier in North America]. This makes not a lick of sense, and instead sounds like a 90s action movie starring Michael Dudikoff.

However, for all that, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The script is sharp, relevant (references to a spineless POTUS undermining intelligence operations will be sure to please at least half the audience), gruff, and cool. With the two Sicario films, Hell or High Water, Wind River, and Yellowstone, Sheridan is fast becoming one of Hollywood's most accomplished writers. The film also stars two of the coolest men on the planet being masculine and suppressing their emotions. Del Toro never so much as even hints at cracking a smile, whilst Brolin has lost some of the sardonic dismissiveness he possessed in the first film, but none of the bluster or self-confidence. All things considered, for a film that never seemed to have any real reason for existing, this is a cracking piece of storytelling, and has me already looking forward to the next instalment.

7/10… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

JLuis_001

Jun 30, 2018

We have come to another case in which a sequel that could be considered unnecessary reaches the cinemas.

Although it's true that the story itself didn't need a continuation, I was interested and pleased to know that a sequel was in the works because Sicario was a really good film. I'mWe have come to another case in which a sequel that could be considered unnecessary reaches the cinemas.

Although it's true that the story itself didn't need a continuation, I was interested and pleased to know that a sequel was in the works because Sicario was a really good film.

I'm aware that many alarms went on with Emily Blunt's absence but for me there wasn't really a problem because I knew both Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro could easily lead this new story.

It was also confirmed that Taylor Sheridan would return to write the script but a monumental piece of the original film wasn't going to be involved, I'm talking about Denis Villeneuve.
So now with the results at hand one should ask the most obvious question: His absence affected this film? Yes it did.

Sicario: Day of The Soldier expands the story of the characters of both Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro, they're now involved in a new battle against the Mexican drug cartels that now seems to be involved with terrorism.
With that kind of theme you get a brutal, dark and violent story, however, even though Sheridan's script is good, it's not up to his original, especially because now it relies a lot more in the action sequences and the conflict feels a lot more thin.

The film also feels hurried and compacted, trying to justify its existence and even though the story ends up on the right track it never got a real momentum or a truly emotional point.

These elements end up hurting the film and its final part proves it by not granting any kind of resolution for any of the characters and even worse the story ends up open which is very upsetting.

The trailers already called it the new installment of the Sicario saga so I can easily predict there will be a third film, although the numbers at the box office will play an important role in that decision.

In the end what I can say is that I think the film was good but it's far from having the quality of its predecessor however I think it's worth it because the performances of both del Toro and Brolin are pretty good. The music is tense and atmospheric and to me the cinematography was also quite good.
The film itself feels like a minor heir but I do think it's worth the shot.

I'm definitely interested in a third installment because I would love to get some resolutions but I honestly hope and want better results.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

StaleCiggarette

Jul 3, 2018

Now I realize there are worse movies out there, however, the cardinal sin of Sicario: Day of the Soldado is that is being praised for its "passableness." Don't be fooled this film may seem well made in certain areas but this only because the score and tone are recycled from the toolboxNow I realize there are worse movies out there, however, the cardinal sin of Sicario: Day of the Soldado is that is being praised for its "passableness." Don't be fooled this film may seem well made in certain areas but this only because the score and tone are recycled from the toolbox of terror set up by Villeneuve, Deakins, and Johannsson in the masterful 2015 original. Ultimately Soldado has nothing to say with these tools and fumbles the torch it was passed. The plot reads like a focus group approved version of a script that Sheridan wrote (the original screenplay of this film may be heavily altered.) The new director has no semblance of directing his actors or infusing a sense of dread, yet he clumsily retreads plotting structure from the original, leading to a plot that ultimately can't even decide if its a narrative drama or an omnipotent soulless thriller. Sony's obligatory cash grab will please audiences who like empty action and violence, but as for the audience who love the original for its tension, mystery, and ambiguity on the subject of the drug war this film feels like a slap to the face. The kicker is as action filled realism the film also misses its mark with cornball dialogue and an unimaginative & unbelievable conflict.… Expand

4 of 12 users found this helpful48

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