nebuchadnezzr The producers and directors of this movie should make more movies. Quality.

mattlynch-37672 In the wake of the bloody aftermath of 'Sicario' the narrative shifts in the direction of Josh Brolin's character Matt Graver. Known in the government for his carefree ability to carry out military dirty work on foreign soil with savage efficiency. On the endlessly grimy US-Mexican border, terrorists are being smuggled through to Texas hidden as immigrants. After a harrowing suicide-bomb attack tears through a shopping mall, the cartel is elevated to 'terrorist' status, freeing the military's ability to intervene on activities across the border. Matt is assigned to mitigate a war between the cartel leaders by feigning the kidnap of a leader's daughter. He again recruits an ever volatile and revenge driven Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro) to aid in the undertaking of this dangerous and gritty mission. Following the monumental critical success of the first installment, 'Day of the Soldado' is poised for triumph. The first act is excellent, a chilling sequence of events introducing the buildup to the terror attack and subsequent reaction of the government. Filmed with military precision and establishing the ruthless 'no rules' attitude the characters are still willing to adopt. The action scenes are thrilling and realistic, bullet casings clanging off surfaces and distressing blood mists heighten the viewers immersion. Brolin and Del Toro turn in excellent performances as dogged soldiers with a complex balance of mutual respect and conflict of interest. Credit to Stefano Sollima for directing many gripping action sequences and an overall accomplished movie. Dariusz Wolski steps up from an accomplished portfolio to produce a pleasing visual landscape. Although both screenplays are written by the extraordinarily talented Taylor Sheridan, 'Day of the Soldado' suffers from some plot flaws and struggles to conclusively tie up loose ends. The particularly perplexing decision for Alejandro's character to abruptly deeply care for the captive Isabel Reyes (Isabela Moner) doesn't seem to be an action that his character would make even in spite of his lost family. Furthermore, the government's unexpected decision to wipe clean the mission also appears to be a sudden change of events that doesn't quite hold up with the tempo. Unfortunately, the beautiful nuances dripping from every scene of the original aren't entirely successfully built upon (think - spellbinding 'bridge attack' and edge of the seat 'covert night assault'). The film certainly stands up to the original but suffers from the loss of Denis Villeneuve (Director), Rodger Deakins (Cinematography) and the late Jóhann Jóhannsson (Music). What this instead produces is an action movie rather than a seething complex drama. A great sequel which makes for a thrilling and captivating watch. Fortunately for audiences, 'Day of the Soldado' is the second installment in a proposed trilogy. "So. You want to be a Sicario?". Overall: 7.5

jomama-01373 If all you are interested in is brainless action and violence then this is the movie for you. But from a technical perspective this movie made absolutely no since. The story line was very flawed. And the editing was atrocious. It was so poorly thrown together I spent the movie looking for the mistakes. And in the end I left the theater. embarrassed for anyone associated with making this piece of garbage.

DawnOfCreation I didn't watch part 1 of the franchise. So not sure where they are coming from. But I liked the vibe this movie gave me. I was a sense of thrill what got me hooked and I didn't look at my watch once what often happens when I er bored watching a movie. Josh Brolin is rapidly becoming one my top 10 fav actors. I like him, good acting. believable guy. Benicio Del Toro also an great actor. Good facial features and good acting. The storyline wasn't that thrilling for me, but the vibe is what I liked about it. Great music and nice scenes in between. Loved the action scenes too. They could have done better with the storyline, making it a bigger movie. It's a nice enjoyable movie, nothing more.