SICARIO, DAY OF THE SOLDADO

US, 2018, 122 minutes, Colour.
Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Isabella Moner, Jeffrey Donovan, Catherine Keener, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo?, Matthew Modine, Shea Whigham, Elijah Rodriguez.
Directed by Stephen Sollima.

The original film, Sicario, made quite an impact on both critics and audiences. Inevitable, perhaps, that there would be a sequel. And, since the action took place in Mexico, in the world of the violence of that country and the cartels, American interventions, and there has been very little letup in the cartel violence and so, a sequel, the title emphasis on the warriors and the soldiers in these conflicts.

The first filming was released before the election of Donald Trump as was president. This sequel was released in the middle of his second year of presidency. Because he has targeted Mexico, Mexicans coming illegally across the border, at one stage separating parents from children and then going back on this policy, the film, with its visuals of the wall, the people-smugglers and their vehicles through the desert, is more than topical.

In fact, from the very beginning, even more contemporary themes are introduced. We see the American helicopters scouring the border area with their searchlights, the refugees fleeing, one of them going aside, putting out his prayer mat and his suiciding with an explosive. Immediately, we are taken to Kansas City, to a suburban supermarket, everything familiarly ordinary with three terrorists arriving and exploding bombs. And then, suddenly, we are with American secret forces in Somalia, abducting a terrorist, destroying his home and family, trying to get information about terrorists in the Middle East getting boats to Mexico to infiltrate the US. The interrogation sequence takes place in Djibouti.

And this is all within the first 10 to 15 minutes. We know that this is going to be an intense film, but violent film, a challenge to prevailing world attitudes towards migration, towards terrorists, towards secret agencies working outside the letter of the law.

Matthew Modine appears as Secretary of State with Catherine Keener as a rather ruthless advisor. The plan is to foment war against the cartel leaders, especially by the abduction of the daughter of one of them. Josh Brolin takes up his previous role as the head of these official/unofficial mercenaries and he brings back Benicio del Toro from the previous film, still full of anger and revenge for the death of his family.

With this all set out in the film, it is over to the audience to sit, sometimes in amazement, sometimes in horror, sometimes emotionally stirred, sometimes disgusted. But, whether an audience likes this film or not, given the headlines and the stories out of Mexico, given the revelations about past CIA interrogations and torture, this sequel is certainly topical. And, the final sequence means that there is going to be another Sicario film.