Sicario was my favourite film of 2015, so whilst I was pleased to see a sequel was being made – without the original star Emily Blunt and director Denis Villeneuve – I was a little apprehensive. With Taylor Sheridan returning to pen this story, I needn’t have worried. This is a tough, exciting, thriller that almost matches the original. Josh Brolin also returns as federal agent Matt Graver, as does Benicio Del Toro as lawyer turned hitman Alejandro. This time, they become involved in stopping a plan to smuggle terrorists across the US-Mexico border.
The basic plot setup might make this sound like something that Donald Trump’s fans would approve of. However, things soon become complicated and rather murky. I found I was gripped from the opening scene, and as the sprawling story unfolded, the tension did not drop. There are a number of thrilling action set pieces as well as some great dialogue heavy scenes.
Brolin is fantastic and it was great to see Catherine Keener cast against type as a conniving politician. My only criticism is that the plot hinges on a large coincidence, but I was able to forgive that. Will Sicario 2 match its predecessor as the best film of the year it was released in? At over half way through 2018, it is more than possible.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10