We’re still waiting on the follow-up to the film.
Our TV movie pick for tonight (Wednesday, 31 July) is Sicario: The Day of the Soldado, the underrated sequel to the brilliant action thriller Sicario.
Sicario is the word for ‘hitman’ in Spanish while Soldado is the word for ‘soldier’. The follow-up is set a few years after the original and begins with a bombing by ISIS on American soil that kills 15 people.
In response, CIA officer Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) is given the green light by the US Secretary of Defence (Matthew Modine) to “shake the tree” and create chaos for the Mexican cartels, who are suspected of having smuggled the terrorists into the United States.
Reuniting with anti-cartel hitman Alejandro Gillick (Benicio Del Toro), the pair decide that the best way to do this is by instigating a war between the rival cartels.
As part of the plan, they kidnap Isabel (Isabela Merced), the daughter of a major drug kingpin – framing another cartel for the crime in a false flag operation.
The sequel saw filmmaker Stefano Sollima (Gomorrah, ZeroZeroZero) replace Denis Villeneuve in the director’s chair.
It received mixed to positive reviews, with many critics complaining about the absence of Emily Blunt’s protagonist from the original in the follow-up.
That said, we here at JOE are big fans of Soldado and wrote the following in a recent retrospective to mark its fifth anniversary:
“[Soldado delves] deeper into the shadowy world [screenwriter Taylor] Sheridan only scratched the surface of in Sicario, this time from the perspective of Alejandro and Matt – deeply flawed but tough-as-nails men who know it all so well.
“While the original mostly stayed set around the US-Mexico border, Soldado is much more globe-trotting. In its opening stretch, it also travels to Africa and South America in a bid to convey to viewers the interconnectivity of the crime world. The end result is fascinating with Sheridan and Sollima breathlessly highlighting how an oil pirate in Somalia, a Mexican criminal gang and an ISIS suicide bomber can be all linked together. On top of this, they also show through the subplot focusing on the teenager Miguel (Elijah Rodriguez) how easy it can be for a relatively normal young boy to be corrupted just through bad influences and the promises of wealth.”
In the retrospective, we also expressed our hope that the long-promised third Sicario flick – apparently titled Sicario: Capos – will eventually come to fruition.
Sicario: The Day of the Soldado is airing on TV tonight at 10.50pm on Film4. It is also available to rent on Apple TV, Google Play, Microsoft, Rakuten TV and the Sky Store.
Here are the other movies on TV tonight:
Nobody – Film4 – 9pm
Bob Odenkirk is an unlikely action man in this brilliant flick we’ve recommended before.
Midnight Special – Sky Sci-Fi – 9pm
Another film we’ve previously recommended, this gripping sci-fi thriller follows a father (Michael Shannon) and son (Jaeden Martell) on the run, pursued by the government and a cult drawn to the child’s special powers.
Unchained – Legend – 9pm
Also known as Bullet Head in some territories, this 2017 crime thriller stars Adrien Brody, Antonio Banderas and John Malkovich.
Kull the Conqueror – ITV4 – 9pm
The poorly received ’90s fantasy flick starring Kevin Sorbo.
The House of the Devil – Legend Xtra – 10.55pm
This supremely creepy ’80s set horror about a college student (Jocelin Donahue) hired as a babysitter at an isolated house was the breakthrough film for writer-director Ti West, who helmed the recent slashers X, Pearl and MaXXXine.
Jiu Jitsu – Legend – 10.55pm
Nicolas Cage, Frank Grillo and Tony Jaa are among the cast of this sci-fi martial arts film that was not well-reviewed.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age – BBC Two – 11.05pm
Cate Blanchett returns in this historical drama sequel as Queen Elizabeth I.
Read more:
- Get Out star says he would return for a sequel
- Disney+ has added new sports drama movie with 98% Rotten Tomatoes score
- Prime Video has just added a very fun new action war movie
- The JOE Film Club Quiz: Week Four
