Ten Stars or Less

Today we find ourselves at another cross roads. So far according to IMDb the Sicario sequel is currently rated 7.6/10. On Rotten Tomatoes it has a 64% rating, and over at Roger Ebert.com, they gave it 2/4 stars. I thought Sicario: Day of the Soldado was hands down one of the best films of 2018. It was a grade higher than the original that starred Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, and Emily Blunt. Brolin and Del Toro return to their roles where there are no rules and the blood shed is so much more. This drama story is intense and thrilling with much higher stakes. No matter what you think about the film or the subject material, just know this stuff happens every single day down along the Mexican and United States border. The first film may have been more focused on drug trade, but the game has changed and Sicario 2 doesn’t hold back on the realism of the subject matter. I thought the movie had great pace and even during the down time between action sequences kept you engaged deep into the plan. I just sat back and was thoroughly entertained from start to finish. The characters played by Brolin and Del Toro are two people you grow to care about and want to see them come meet their objectives. I may have missed Emily Blunt, but without her we get to see these two guys work their magic together. Their appearance alone gives you the impression that are not to be messed with and their tactical skills could match any special forces from any other movie. Now that I am done raining down praise for this film that I would love to watch again, I will say the ending is really a mess and left me with more questions than answers, but played perfectly along with the rest of the mystery surrounding the characters and their missions. Del Toro gets kidnapped (no spoilers) and to watch him play those scenes out is heart wrenching. After everything is said and done, with the last bullets littered all over the ground, the ending doesn’t do the film justice. You will wonder what happened to certain characters and come to realize that there may be a future for someone you will absolutely hate, possibly in a third Sicario film. The amazing part of all this is a part of the film that occurs when Del Toro’s character is on the run. He stumbles across the home a deaf Mexican guy and his family. So despite all the devilish activity through the film, or the brutality his character is famous for, there’s a soft side to him. I get emotional at movies, so it was no surprise these scenes really moved me. We get a little back story of Alejandro which is unusual given the circumstances. Overall, those moments reminded me that this is a real story with real people doing their best to solve some of the world’s darkest problems. I won’t be sorry if you didn’t like this film as much as me, because I loved it. I would feel sorry thorough if you didn’t go see this movie in theaters. 9/10