A series of suicide bombings in various U.S cities is growing evidence that the Mexican drug cartels have expanded their operations beyond just Class A. Their focus is now fixed upon trafficking Islamic terrorists across the U.S / Mexican border. In a risky attempt to stem this flow, the U.S government launches a sequence of covert false flag activities on Mexican soil designed to both distract and induce cartel infighting. This particular game plan will culminate with the kidnapping of the daughter of the head of one of the cartels.
The margin for error, however, is perilously thin, and sure enough it's not long before all best laid plans turn sour. With the task complete, the U.S Government, fearing the unthinkable possibility of culpability, quickly decides that it is left with no other choice than to backtrack and 'clean up' all traces of its involvement.
Be they Government operatives, civilians or cartel members, regardless of their allegiances, this will not be good news for any number of the pawns involved in this particular messy game.
Call me naive, but I was actually quite surprised to see that Sicario had spawned a sequel. As excellent as it undoubtedly was, it just didn't seem like that kind of film.
Of course, the world of big budget mainstream movie-making won't hesitate to hang its hat off anything if sufficient moolah is waved seductively in front of its fat green-eyed face. That's a given, Business is business after all.
Certainly any fears that an inferior second instalment would serve only to tarnish the memory of Denis Villeneuve's gripping original, are thankfully quickly allayed.
Based once again upon a Taylor Sheridan screenplay, Sicario 2: Day of the Soldado is that rarest of beasts, a sequel that stands ably on its own two feet, confidently doing more than enough in just over two hours to be considered a worthy successor to a much respected original.
And you can pretty much count all such films on one hand.
The performances are nicely understated across the board. Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin revive their roles as Alejandro and Matt Graver, respectively. Isabella Moner puts in a nice turn as the sassy young abductee, Isabel Reyes, whilst Matthew Modine, in a rare big-screen appearance, portrays the U.S Secretary of Defence.
Perhaps it's just me but try as I might to identify the man by way of something a little more current, I perpetually resign myself to that fact I will forever envisage Modine, perched on the end of a bed, Birdy-style.
Stefano Sollima's matter-of-fact direction is visually striking, graphically brutal, and mercifully devoid of unnecessary clichés and sensationalism.
And a tip of the hat too, to the late great Jóhann Jóhannsson, whose low growling glissando sonic motif - used to such stunning effect in Sicario and seemingly ubiquitous within any number of dark Hollywood thrillers since - lives on through the sequel's composer of choice, Hildur Guðnadóttir, once again underpinning the action with its pervading tone of menace.
As for any credence behind the notion that 'two is enough' - this is well and truly put to bed by way of the film's conclusion, which, whilst being a bit of a bolted-on clunky after thought, undoubtedly leaves the door open to the prospect of a part three of this gritty franchise in which no one ever seem to come up smelling of roses.
Sequel-phobic though I may well generally be, a third instalment - whilst clearly tempting fate - in this instance I'd be so bold to suggest, is actually probably no bad thing.
This and hundreds of other films are reviewed on my WaywardWolfBlog
The margin for error, however, is perilously thin, and sure enough it's not long before all best laid plans turn sour. With the task complete, the U.S Government, fearing the unthinkable possibility of culpability, quickly decides that it is left with no other choice than to backtrack and 'clean up' all traces of its involvement.
Be they Government operatives, civilians or cartel members, regardless of their allegiances, this will not be good news for any number of the pawns involved in this particular messy game.
Call me naive, but I was actually quite surprised to see that Sicario had spawned a sequel. As excellent as it undoubtedly was, it just didn't seem like that kind of film.
Of course, the world of big budget mainstream movie-making won't hesitate to hang its hat off anything if sufficient moolah is waved seductively in front of its fat green-eyed face. That's a given, Business is business after all.
Certainly any fears that an inferior second instalment would serve only to tarnish the memory of Denis Villeneuve's gripping original, are thankfully quickly allayed.
Based once again upon a Taylor Sheridan screenplay, Sicario 2: Day of the Soldado is that rarest of beasts, a sequel that stands ably on its own two feet, confidently doing more than enough in just over two hours to be considered a worthy successor to a much respected original.
And you can pretty much count all such films on one hand.
The performances are nicely understated across the board. Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin revive their roles as Alejandro and Matt Graver, respectively. Isabella Moner puts in a nice turn as the sassy young abductee, Isabel Reyes, whilst Matthew Modine, in a rare big-screen appearance, portrays the U.S Secretary of Defence.
Perhaps it's just me but try as I might to identify the man by way of something a little more current, I perpetually resign myself to that fact I will forever envisage Modine, perched on the end of a bed, Birdy-style.
Stefano Sollima's matter-of-fact direction is visually striking, graphically brutal, and mercifully devoid of unnecessary clichés and sensationalism.
And a tip of the hat too, to the late great Jóhann Jóhannsson, whose low growling glissando sonic motif - used to such stunning effect in Sicario and seemingly ubiquitous within any number of dark Hollywood thrillers since - lives on through the sequel's composer of choice, Hildur Guðnadóttir, once again underpinning the action with its pervading tone of menace.
As for any credence behind the notion that 'two is enough' - this is well and truly put to bed by way of the film's conclusion, which, whilst being a bit of a bolted-on clunky after thought, undoubtedly leaves the door open to the prospect of a part three of this gritty franchise in which no one ever seem to come up smelling of roses.
Sequel-phobic though I may well generally be, a third instalment - whilst clearly tempting fate - in this instance I'd be so bold to suggest, is actually probably no bad thing.
This and hundreds of other films are reviewed on my WaywardWolfBlog