It is nothing new to turn on your television and to be greeted on almost any day of the week with the travesty that our country faces; we have a president that is stricken with the controversial issues of illegal immigration, national safety, violence, poverty and so much more that run rampant through our very home. Though what is so interesting is how far people are willing to fight and hurt others in order to protect their country and the livelihood of the individuals that make up their country. Mimicking this, but to a far different extreme, and using the landscape of illegal immigration and terrorism as its main forces of conflict comes “Sicario: Day of the Soldado,” the sequel to the hit movie “Sicario” from 2015. It doesn’t rise above its predecessor but is still an outstanding film, meant to be watched solely for its brave take that comments on some of the issues that plague our very world today.
“Sicario: Day of the Soldado” begins with a a terrorist suicide bombing in Kansas City that leaves many dead and wounded. The U.S. government finds out from the help of Matt Graver, a former tough beat delta soldier played by Josh Brolin ( “No Country for Old Men”), that the terrorists involved were somehow smuggled over the Mexican border. This leads the U.S. government to enlist the help of Alejandro Gillick, a former squad mate of Gravers, played by Benicio Del Toro (“Guardians of the Galaxy”) from Mexico, to start an all out war between the cartel forces that were smuggling the terrorists into the United States.
One of the most apparent things about the film is its gritty and brutal tone, as bullets spray across the screen, mass corpers of bloodied and mutilated bodies fill the floors all while people scream in agony. This is coupled with the acting that furthers the brutal tone of the film, as Josh Brolin’s character takes part in all the ruthless killing and torture of different people all in the name of the country. Brolin’s character is apathetic, as he runs around with not a single ounce of emotion except the passion and mere grit and ferocity that he carries in and out of his mission. As well, Benicio Del Toro delivers a worthwhile performance as he reprises his role of Gillick, a hitman with a lot of inner demons as he wages a war inside himself and in his homeland.
In addition, the cinematography done by Dariusz Wolski (“The Martian”) shows his amazing sense of eye for true cinema. Beautiful establishing shots in the film show the prepossessing but yet barren wasteland of Mexico to even the disgusting, poverty-stricken streets of Texas. This makes for amazing battle scenes, as helicopters fly on the horizon and explosions fill the sky with dust and debris. To say the least, it is so tactfully done, real and bewitting, and it seeks to ask audiences how even something that is nothing can be so gracious and mesmerizing.
Unfortunately, “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” makes one major mistake that proves why it is inferior compared to its predecessor: its soundtrack. Ultimately, it just seems as if there is nothing in the entire film in terms of soundtrack; this is sad because the film would have felt more tense and suspenseful with the right eerie soundtrack.
In the bitter, grotesque and jaw-dropping conclusion of the film, you can’t help but to ask: Where the sequel will go? The film uses the setting and landscape of what the 21st century in America has been soured by, such as issues of terrorism and the controversy that surrounds illegal immigration. However, it uses these such topics to really engross and further bring viewers into the realness that the topic of these issues has on everyone.
Though the film lacks in its soundtrack, which hinders overall suspense that the first film granted viewers, “Sicario: Day of the Soldado,” is a worthy sequel, one that is a fine soldado (Spanish for “soldier”) of a film.
