Soldado (2018)

Wasn't as good as the first, wasn't bad. Long as fuck, but I didn't notice. Could've used more action, honestly. I liked the whole redirect of the plot. It was all "We're going to do A to cause B because C." Then it was "Well, C isn't what we thought, A didn't work, and B isn't happening." Always nice when things don't go exactly as planned.

Didn't blow me away like the first, but it was enjoyable. I'll watch the third when it comes out.

I watched the first one last night and Soldado today afternoon. I'd grade the first one a 6/10 and the second a 5/10, it could have been a 8/10 but the ending was terrible imo. If you are a fan of Westerns / Taylor Sheridan (Wind River, Hell or High Water, Sicario) then its definitely worth a watch in theaters there are some fantastic stunning Western vista shots and the central "highway car chase" scene that is a bit of a repeat of the one in S1 is still great. Probably not a good movie for wife/gf, I think they will be pissed at some of the main themes in the movie about power, cynicism, how shitty politicians are, how our kids are doomed to repeat our mistakes, etc.

I loved the first one because I don't think many people really accepted the metaphor of Emily Blunt being us, the average citizen, who is shocked at the brutality and immorality of the drug war and wants to do nothing with it once we see how destructive it is but Del Toro will not let her absolve herself of her complicity so easily.

massive spoilers about the end of Soldado

Glad I saw this movie but it coulda been better.

I didn't get the very ending. Is he going to kill him or train him or reform him? And do we really want to see that as a third movie?

Attog said:

I didn't get the very ending. Is he going to kill him or train him or reform him? And do we really want to see that as a third movie?

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I assume a third movie would actually be him getting his revenge against Reyes himself, and the kid could help?

I liked how it started. Brolin with his “CIA I don’t give a shit attitude” and they had a good way to start shit with the cartels. Then it’s turns into save the girl shit and I tuned it out.

This is at best 6/10. If they make a third one it needs to be all about fucking up the cartel. Like...oh hey a gun fight? Ya fuck you we have drones to blow you up.

I haven't seen proof but apparently the director fucked with the script and really changed the second half of the movie and the ending, with Sheridan's version being very different. Too bad.

The lazy grenade into the shitbag car had me chuckling. But the plot just lost me.

I think the movie would have been fine if BDT killed that boy that shot him.

Watched this today. Decent film but not as good as the first. Part of what made the first one good was its atmosphere, like this



You can see the same kind of 'quiet attentiveness' in the new Blade Runner.

The last few minutes might be good if the next film continues with the little girl who seemed catatonic near the end, if we meet her mob boss father, and if Del Toro and Brolin are out to fuck each other up.

Overall not bad but Sicario didn't need a sequel. Dig Sheridan's style of western though, such as Hell or High Water.

So I was a huge fan of the first Sicario (2015), and when I saw the line up for the crew of the second one I was a little apprehensive. I think I was worrying too much.

I loved Soldado, even if I did not love it the same way as Sicario, a movie that had a certain power to it because I did not know what I was getting into when I walked into the theater. I thought it would be a cliche action movie. Shooting. Explosions. America.

What I got was completely different, but Sicario is a different animal from Soldado. The second film feels as though it has a slightly different feel to it than the first movie did. Slight but significant, though not in a negative fashion. Sicario felt more grounded, and its sequel seems to stretch the limits of my suspension of disbelief. But Soldado is definitely high quality story telling. As far as Neo-Western (or New Western, no one seems to have decided what the name of the genre is) it is a worthy addition to a pantheon that includes No Country for Old Men (2007), Logan (2017) and Hell or High Water (2016).

If you liked the first movie or either of the other three I detailed above, I recommend this. It feels like another story set in some fantasy world where instead of everyone speaking with an English accent and carrying a sword, people wear flak jackets, pack dippers and yell at each other in a half-learned language that sounds like music.

Feanor said:

Decent film but not as good as the first. Part of what made the first one good was its director

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Right.

to go along with Campbell1oo4 recommendations, if you like these movies make sure you watch Hostiles with Christian Bale, its 100% a western and absolutely fan-fucking-tastic. Also Wind River belongs in the listings, similar to Hell or High Water in a modern western setting but more a murder/mystery with Hawkeye as a badass.

There are also three western TV shows, I haven't watched any of them yet but have them all ony my netflix queue:

Yellowstone (2018), only 1 season (so far) with Kevin Costner
Longmire, 5 season 63 episode "modern western" 2012-2017
Godless, 1 season on netflix set in 1880s

I need to rewatch Deadwood and Unforgiven, RDR 2 is really getting me hankerin for some fancy dialoguing.