Benicio Del Toro is back in the drug trafficking sequel as the cortels seek to protect the Mexico border from terrorists. Now it’s up to Alejandro (Del Toro) to team up with FBI Agent Matt Grover (Josh Brolin) to fight the opposition at the border while protecting a refuge girl who falls victim to abduction from the cortels.
The film stars Del Toro in a role that is prevee to him as he is very much has a knack for getting into sticky situations, but does so in a way that he manages to pull himself out by the bootstraps and survive to live another day. One break out star is Isabela Moner who plays the girl whom Del Toro takes responsibility in protecting and overall she is definitely one to watch. Coming off her first feature length film with Transformers: Age of Extinction in this Mexican based film, one sees Moner in a slightly new light, that of one who just wants to survive and get back to her family. Moner enhanced the dynamic of the the flare as she definitely knew how to get down and dirty in a sense as she physically did take some emotional as well as physical abuse and had the audience rooting for her survival as the film moved on to its climax.
In addition, the use of language and the director’s inclusion in Spanish dialect showed the culture that one is dealing with and for a California- west coast audience, one could sympathize with.
Overall at 2 hour and 2 minute run time Sicario: Day of the Soldado captivates audiences with action and suspense that is known to Del Toro’s style as well as adding an essential element of protection as a young girl, Isabel, who is kidnapped from the border now must rely on the protection of Alejandro in order to get back to her family. It is refreshing to see a good, clean film though it is timely to the issues going on at the border, it reminds one that anything is possible and as far as sequels go, it’s a movie that one doesn’t necessarily need to see the first one in order to enjoy the second.
Sicario: Day of the Soldado came out in theaters June 29, 2018 and is currently playing in a theater near you.