Sicario: Day of the Soldado Surges on Netflix’s Global Rankings
Taylor Sheridan’s follow-up to Sicario, starring Josh Brolin, has quietly landed on Netflix and is swiftly climbing the platform’s global charts. The film delves into a fraught US-Mexico border crisis involving cartels and terrorism.
When Taylor Sheridan’s much-debated sequel to one of the last decade’s most gripping thrillers slipped onto Netflix this January, few could have predicted its rapid ascent up the streamer’s global charts. Sheridan, whose name is now synonymous with a string of hit television dramas—think Yellowstone, Landman, and 1923—has also carved out a reputation for taut, atmospheric screenplays in the world of cinema. His writing credits include Hell or High Water and Wind River, both of which drew critical praise, but it was his script for Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario that truly set tongues wagging. Now, the 2018 follow-up, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, is enjoying a fresh wave of attention.
Currently, the film sits at number seven on Netflix’s global weekly chart, with viewers flocking to see Josh Brolin reprise his role in this tense, action-packed tale. While Sheridan returned to pen the script, Villeneuve handed the directorial reins to Stefano Sollima. The cast sees Benicio Del Toro and Jeffrey Donovan back in action, joined by Isabela Merced, Catherine Keener, and Matthew Modine, with Brolin’s Matt Graver taking centre stage this time around.
Shifting Focus: From Kate to Graver
Where the original film thrust Emily Blunt’s Kate into the murky world of cross-border drug enforcement, the sequel pivots to Graver, who finds himself embroiled in a new crisis. With Mexican cartels now implicated in smuggling terrorists across the border, Graver enlists the enigmatic Alejandro for a high-stakes operation: the abduction of a cartel boss’s daughter. The official synopsis puts it succinctly:
"FBI agent Matt Graver calls on mysterious operative Alejandro Gillick when Mexican drug cartels start to smuggle terrorists across the U.S. border. The war escalates even further when Alejandro kidnaps a top kingpin's daughter to deliberately increase the tensions. When the young girl is seen as collateral damage, the two men will determine her fate as they question everything that they are fighting for."
This time, the narrative is less about the outsider’s perspective and more about the moral ambiguities faced by those already deep in the game. The stakes are personal, the lines blurred, and the violence, as ever, unflinching.
Reception and Comparisons
Villeneuve’s original outing remains a high-water mark, with a formidable 91% critical rating and 85% from audiences. The sequel, by contrast, has drawn a more mixed response—62% from critics and a slightly warmer 66% from viewers. Some have found the follow-up lacking the razor-sharp focus and visual tension that made the first so memorable. The subtext, too, is thinner on the ground, with the sequel’s script feeling a touch more conventional.
Still, there are those who champion the film’s merits. As one Rotten Tomatoes user put it,
"A masterpiece, just like the first film... Some folks didn't have the patience to embrace this 2nd piece to the story. But it is beautiful, start to finish."
Yet, the prevailing mood is that Day of the Soldado, while a solid crime thriller in its own right, doesn’t quite reach the heights of its predecessor.
Streaming Success and Lasting Appeal
Despite the divided opinions, the film’s resurgence on Netflix suggests there’s still plenty of appetite for Sheridan’s brand of gritty, morally complex storytelling. With its blend of action, suspense, and ethical quandaries, Sicario: Day of the Soldado continues to draw in new viewers, proving that even a sequel with a mixed legacy can find fresh life on the small screen.