Sicario: Day of the Soldado

Early reactions to SOLDADO were positive, but the actual reviews were not so. Taylor Sheridan's sequel screenplay is not a bad film, but it is a shadow of its predecessor, which had me at the edge of my seat throughout.

Aside from the nail-biting action and propulsive score of the original (read my reaction to that here), that film had a moral center in the "outsider" Kate Macer, played by Emily Blunt. 
Here we have Catherine Keener in a token woman role, and

the initially obnoxious teen Isabel Moner, left, in the child-in-jeopardy role as the daughter of a cartel lord.

And then there's Alejandro, played by Benicio Del Toro, who takes Isabel's character Isabel Reyes under his wing.

Benicio is always a force of nature in his films, but here, he becomes akin to a human Terminator. Let's just say that (spoiler alert!) not even a bullet to the head is gonna stop this guy.

The film's focus is the duo of Josh Brolin (who apparently packs mucho hair product in the field for his Elvis bouffant) and Del Toro. Stefano Sollimo's direction, while perfectly adequate, lacks the sensibility, sensitivity, and soul of Denis Villeneuve.

There were rumors on Twitter that Emily Blunt might return for SICARIO 3. (Yes!) If so, I'd like to see Katherine Bigelow (below) direct that one.

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