I loved the 2015 crime dramaSicario. Directed byDenis Villeneuveand beautifully photographed byRoger Deakins, the unsettling thriller was loaded with fantastic performances and an amazing score byJóhann Jóhannsson. In addition,Taylor Sheridan’sfantastic script kept audiences on the edge of their seat while also tackling serious real world issues about America’s war on the Mexican drug cartels. If you’ve never seen the film, I strongly recommend checking it out.
When I first heard they were making a sequel toSicario,Sicario: Day of the Soldado, I’ll admit I was skeptical. But when they announced screenwriterTaylor Sheridanwas returning to pen the script and bothBenicio Del ToroandJosh Brolinwere also involved, my fears subsided. After all, both Brolin and Del Toro are the types of actors that get offered a number of high-profile projects and wouldn’t come back unless the sequel was being done with the same care as the first film.
I also felt better about the sequel when Brolin told mehowSoldadocompares toSicario:
“I think it’s just more severe, man. All the way around. I think the characters are more severe. I think the movie is more severe. I think it’s just much bigger. It’s just a bigger scope film. Like I said, when I saw it it was likeSicariofelt like a small movie to me, even though it was a very intimate movie. I’ve always said I don’t understand why bigger movies can’t be just as intimate, if not more intimate. Why do they have to be less emotional? I thinkSoldado‘s a perfect example of that. I think it’s extremely emotional. I think it’s extremely tense and it deals with similar subject matters.”
Last week at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, I got to talk with Benicio Del Toro backstage at the closing night Awards ceremony. He was in town to help promote theSicariosequel, directed byStefano Sollima, as well as receive the “CinemaConMale Star of the Year Award” fromThe National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO).
During the interview Del Toro talked about howSicario: Day of the Soldadohas plenty of surprises and “Oh shit” moments, if he was nervous to make a sequel to such a well-regarded film, how they’re thinking about making a third one, if he knew when they were making Sicario that it would be such a special film, and how he still can’t believe he’s part of a ride at Disneyland (Guardians of the Galaxy).
