The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
SICARIO 2: SOLDADO
(15)
Three suicide bombers walk into a supermarket in Kansas City and detonate their vests, despite pleas for mercy.
Government official James Riley (Matthew Modine) responds by authorising Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) to undertake a covert mission to prevent Mexican drugs cartels from exploiting weaknesses in US border security, which supposedly allowed the bombers into the country.
Graver hatches a harebrained scheme with old ally Alejandro (Benicio del Toro) to kidnap Isabel Reyes (Isabela Moner), the young daughter of Carlos Reyes, who heads the powerful Sonoran cartel.
US operatives will frame the rival Matamoros cartel for the 12-year-old’s abduction and light the fuse on a bloody turf war which will hopefully see the two Mexican operations wipe each other out.
Alejandro has a deep personal connection to Reyes and is entrusted with Isabel’s safety as the bullets fly.
Sicario 2: Soldado comes close to recapturing the nailbiting tension of the first film, which was nominated for three Oscars and benefited greatly from Emily Blunt’s turn as a vengeful FBI agent.
Her absence is Moner’s gain, who gives a striking performance as a young woman, who believes her family ties offer immunity from punishment for her bad behaviour.
Taylor Sheridan returns to screenwriting duties and taps into timely concerns about trafficking across borders.
Stefano Sollima, Italian director of Suburra and TV series Gomorra, sustains tension for almost two hours.
His sequel lacks some of the verve of the original but none of the raw firepower.