Sicario 2: Soldado

Following on from 2015's highly acclaimed drug-trade thriller, this second instalment finds ruthless government agent Josh Brolin and his freelance sidekick Benicio Del Toro once again battling cartels along the US-Mexican border. However, the focus has switched from cocaine to people trafficking, the crime lords using their crossing routes to help ferry terrorists into America, and a plot is hatched to start an internal war by kidnapping a kingpin's teenage daughter. Director Stefano Sollima delivers as gripping a story as the first film, while fleshing out the character of Del Toro's vengeful family man, a portrayal upon which much of the film pivots. Brolin's is largely a supporting role but is executed with effortless cool, while Isabela Moner shines as the young captive, adding another layer of humanity to proceedings. The violent set pieces are more audacious but just as disciplined as what went before, in another intelligent and thought-provoking chapter of a high-octane crime saga that looks set to run and run.