Sicario
Credits, Movies

First Reactions to Sicario: Day of the Soldado Tout Tense Thrills

June 19, 2018
By Joseph Gates

“Superb”, “thrilling” and “wicked sense of tension” are all words being used to describe Sicario: Day of the Soldado. The first film in the trilogy was gripping from the opening scene. Now, the story continues and critics are hailing the film as a sequel worthy of the original.

I vividly remember convincing my friends that they needed to get out and see Sicario when it first hit theaters. Denis Villeneuve at the helm was reason enough for me to buy a ticket, but it was the gritty set pieces, haunting score, and pulsating tension that drew us in. The first scene alone was worth the trip to the theater, and the rest of the film lived up to it.

Many were hesitant when they heard rumors of a sequel to what seemed like a riveting happy accident. However, there were so many questions left hanging that made a sequel worth writing. Taylor Sheridan (Sicario, Hell or High Water) seems to be the right man for the job.

In the wave of first reactions on Twitter, Collider’s Steven Weintraub described the follow-up as “*extremely* well done.” He also notes that the male leads, Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro, are “fantastic,” while IndieWire’s Anne Thompson said their characters are deepened in “unexpected ways.” Part of what made Sicario special was its tendency toward the unexpected, so it’s exciting to hear that Day of the Soldado pushes the story in new directions. The Playlist’s Gregory Ellwood wrote up exactly what I was hoping to hear, and more:

Heartbreaking isn’t an adjective that fans of the original film would expect from Soldado, but there you have it. Brolin and del Toro’s characters will kidnap Isabela Moner’s character, which could definitely add an emotional new layer.

Sicario: Day of the Soldado smashes into theaters June 29.

Featured Image: (l to r) Josh Brolin, Jeffrey Donovan and Benicio Del Toro in SICARIO: Day of the Soldado

TAGS