Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)

[Stenbeck]

Saw this last night. Half of it was great, the other half not so much.

I really liked the beginning: The attack in Kansas City was heartbreaking (Lady, you move AWAY from the suicide bomber!), the interrogation in Somalia, the terrorist connection with the alleged border crossing. 

Then, it went off the rails... the kidnapping was pointless. Why was the girl shown the entire operation? For a moment, I thought the shootout with the Mexican was staged just to sell the kidnapping! danger! schtick to the girl.

The score was solid, Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin were excellent. 

[mxc90]

Yes. The second half fell off track. I would have been impressed/satisfied if Benicio was killed in the pit. It would have given the movie something more. But when he came back to "life", had an abundance of energy to travel for miles to find the shot up gang/ vehicles, able to accurately toss a grenade in his condition while driving, somehow was able to cross the border, and then a year later find the kid who shot him (BTW - did he know it was him? He was blind folded or did the kid put a want ad for a sicario trainer) ... that's when it turned from decent to a weak imitation James Bond/Mission Impossible film.

Also, the kid recognizing him in the dark from a far was a stretch.

I thought the little girl was good and Brolin delivered.

I guess part 3 will be Benicio finds Carlos Reyes and kill him with help from his apprentice. The girl will still be shell shocked and in mental therapy living in Vermont.

After watching both films, I never remember the name of Benicio's character and really didn't mind.

Edited July 4, 2018 by mxc90

[thuganomics85]

Finally saw this.  As someone who loved the first film, I didn't think it really needed a sequel, and this one didn't really change my mind.  It was fine for what it was and I enjoyed it while I was watching it, but it just felt strangely generic and forgettable.  And, yeah, it really did go off the rails at the end.  Also wasn't a fan over how it felt like they made Graver and Alejandro more "anti-heroes", instead of monsters who just happened to be working for the "good guys", like they were in the first film.  All I could think of when Alejandro was all "Oh, hell no, I ain't going to kill that girl!" about taking out Isabel was "Didn't he freaking shoot a bunch of kids in the first film?"  Since when was that a line he wouldn't cross?

Still, both Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin were great, Jeffery Donovan brought some good laughs again, and Isabela Moner did fine with what she was given (certainly a step above Transformers: The Last Knight, right?!)  Everyone else was wasted: especially Matthew Modine and Catherine Keener.  Did like the cameo from Shea Whigham.  Almost surprised they didn't find some way to work in Jon Bernthal's character again, even though he was arrested.

Also, while I still love the majority of his work, after seeing all of his films and Yellowstone (which I'm finally getting around to), I am starting to think that Taylor Sheridan isn't really good with writing female characters.  I suspect the only reason I liked Kate Macer from the first film was due to Emily Blunt.

[Megan]

I wish that theme played every time I walked into a room. And left.

Edited December 29, 2018 by Megan