When unorthodox CIA agent Matt Graver (played with laconic ease by Brolin) uncovers a drug cartel plot to smuggle terrorists across the US-Mexico border, he resolves to put an end to their plans. Enter Alejandro Gillick (del Toro), an enigmatic, cold and ruthless operative, who has already proven his worth in the war on the drug cartels, and has his own axe to grind with the criminal underbelly of the border towns.

Sicario: Day of the Soldado is the sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s tense, visceral 2015 thriller Sicario and is a bit of a dark horse. With Villeneuve and cinematographer Richard Deakins working on Blade Runner 2049, the project is helmed this time around by Stefano Sollima, who delivers a breathless and violent action film.

Cinematographer Daruisz Wolski, known for his camera work on The Martian and Prometheus, shoots scenes tight and fast, framing the action in an almost claustrophobic fashion. The fantastic sound team from the original movie return, their mastery on display in the snap and bark of gunfire during the film’s kinetic action sequences. Sicario: Day of the Soldado is an angrier, hungrier beast than its predecessor, and a worthy addition to the Sicario saga.