Sicario: Day of the Soldado

"It’s hard to imagine anybody that watched director Denis Villeneuve’s 2015 cartel crime drama Sicario and came away thinking: good film, but it needs a sequel. That feeling is admittedly rare in any kind of movie, other than franchise installments which blur the line between 'cliffhanger' and 'gratuitous cash grab' – like The Maze Runner and Avengers: Infinity War. It is also oddly refreshing, such is the severity of sequelitis in Hollywood, for a sequel to be predicated at least in part on exploring a timely social issue, suggesting the franchise in question might stand for something more than ticket stubs and audience-baiting."

"Denis Villeneuve’s tense-as-hell thriller was one of the nicest surprises of 2015, pitting newbie Fed Emily Blunt against the Mexican drug cartels like a kickass Clarice Starling. Neither Villeneuve, Blunt or sidekick Daniel Kaluuya return for Stefano Sollima’s solid sequel, but writer Taylor Sheridan, Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin are back, the three stealth stars of the original."

""Soldado" may not be as masterful as Villeneuve's original, but it sets up a world of possibilities for elaborating on a complex conflict far too rich to be resolved in two hours' time."

"Ultimately, the movie is softer than it looks: Sheridan's trick is to keep up a facade of nihilism for as long as possible before allowing sentiment to creep in."

"A good film in its genre, but it never transcends that genre in the way the original did."

"Like its violent antiheroes, "Sicario: Day of the Soldado" is ruthlessly efficient but also morally conflicted."

"Sicario: Day of the Soldado emerges as a dynamic action drama in its own right."

"This latest trip down Mexico way is enjoyable and frustrating in equal measure."

"Thrillingly paced, ravishingly shot and eerily topical, Sicario 2 retains much of its predecessor's dark charm despite its shuffled creative personnel. But a jarringly Hollywood ending dulls its overall impact."

"In some ways, Day of the Soldado is darker than Sicario, but it's darkness without purpose."