Sicariowas a brilliant action thrillerwritten by Taylor Sheridan, but its sequel was a disappointment that deviated too far from the original. Released in 2015,Sicariosaw Sheridan and Denis Villeneuve teaming upas writer and director of this intense thriller. It explores a covert operation by the US to take down Mexican drug cartels, with the mission crossing lines.
Sicariowas a massive hit with fans and critics, earning 92% onRotten Tomatoesand scoring at the box office, with $85 million worldwide (viaBox Office Mojo). Since then,Sicariohas only become more popular with audiences, being regarded as one ofVilleneuve’s best moviesas well as Sheridan’s finest screenplay.
Not surprisingly, the success of the movie led to a sequel. Villeneuve did not return to direct, but Sheridan did write the second movie. Unfortunately, both his script and the direction by Stefano Sollima lost sight of what worked the first time.
Sicario: Day Of The Soldado Is Absolutely Nothing Like Its Predecessor
Sicario’s Grounded Feel Is Missing From The Follow-up
Sicario: Day of the Soldadowas the second movie in the franchise and a drastic step down fromSicario. The differences between the two movies can be seen immediately by contrasting the opening scenes.Sicariodelivers a pulse-pounding action sequencethat brilliantly uses its music and camera work to create a grounded yet hard-hitting police raid sequence.
Sicario: Day of the Soldadois much more interested in set pieces that are brash, loud, and feel like they are out of any typical action movie.
Sicario: Sicario: Day of the Soldadoopens with a sequence linking illegal immigration to terrorist attacks, with a bombing sequence that is not particularly interesting and is meant to sensationalize.Right away,Sicario: Day of the Soldadoloses the grounded feel that made the first movie so effective.
Sicarioput audiences on the edge of their seats throughout the movie with the sense of dread that danger could erupt at any moment.Sicario: Day of the Soldadois much more interested in set pieces that are brash, loud, and feel like they are out of any typical action movie.
The ending ofSicariopresents a complex resolution that perfectly fits the exploration of moral grayness.Sicario: Day of the Soldadomakes a choice with the fate of one key character that once again separates the movie from reality and distracts from what comes next. It all comes to an end in a more traditional way, robbed of the layers of its predecessor.
Sicario: Day Of The Soldado Withered Without Emily Blunt’s Return
The Franchise Forgot Its Most Important Character
Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin each returned forSicario: Day of the Soldado, playing Alejandro and Matt, respectively. However,the missing character of Kate Macer (Emily Blunt)proves to be one of the main issues with the sequel, despite del Toro and Brolin giving solid performances.
Kate was meant to be the one the audience follows throughout the movie, as she was the one we understood.
Without Kate, Alejandro is made the protagonist of the story, something ill-fitting for the character.While Alejandro is a major part of the first movie, he works best while remaining mysterious. In fact, del Toro wisely cut many of his own lines from the original movie to maintain that aspect of the character.
Sicario: Day of the Soldadobrings Alejandro out of the shadows and quickly makes him much less interesting. The same is true of Matt, a character whose seeming ambivalence paints an eerie picture of these clandestine operations. The sequel forces him to make choices that show a sense of conscience.
Kate was meant to be the one the audience follows throughout the movie, as she was the one we understood. Seeing her exposed to the more complicated world was much more effective than seeing Alejandro and Matt operating their over-the-top missions. Without Kate,Sicario: Day of the Soldadofeels like it has no point of view.
It is unclearwhat happens to Kate afterSicario, but if the franchise is going to continue, it has to do so with her. There is no point in continuing this story unless it is an exploration of Kate’s reaction to her experiences inSicario, which is what the sequel should have been all along.
