‘Sicario: Day of the Soldado’ follows a new mission of our good old CIA operatives, Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) and Alejandro Gillick (Benicio del Toro). Filled with wild and gruesome action scenes, Sicario 2 covers an act of terrorism allegedly committed by Mexican terrorists in Soldado, that sparks off a series of unfortunate events.
Plot Summary
Alejandro, a Mexican drug cartel, along with Matt’s US government recruits, plan a false flag mission to retaliate against the suspected perpetrators of a terrorist attack. Matt and Alejandro kidnap the daughter of a drug kingpin, Carlos Reyes, Isabel (Isabela Merced), to incite a war between Reyes and a rival cartel, the Matamoros gang. Things do not go according to the plan as Isabel escapes the American team, while Alejandro catches up with her. Meanwhile, Matt is compelled to destroy all the evidence of American involvement in the kidnapping, which means Alejandro has to kill Isabel, or they both die instead.
‘Sicario: Day of the Soldado’ Ending, Explained
Alejandro goes rogue to save Isabel’s life. As Matt and the cartel pursue them, he and Isabel prepare to cross the border illegally into the United States with some assistance from human traffickers. Midway, they are captured by the cartel with the help of Miguel. Matt and his operatives’ team use a tracking device activated by Alejandro. Miguel is forced by the cartel to shoot Alejandro dead.
Matt arrives and shirks his orders to kill Isabel but ends up killing the entire cartel instead. Cleverly, he instructs his team to put Isabel under witness protection. Alejandro regains his consciousness and realizes that Miguel has shot him only through the cheek. A year later, Miguel becomes a full-fledged part of the cartel as he surprisingly meets Alejandro, who asks him a rhetorical question, “So you want to be a Sicario?”
What happens to Isabel by the end of ‘Sicario: Day of the Soldado’?
During the CIA vs. the cartel face-off, we’re almost made to believe that Matt has actually shot Isabel dead. But we get to know that his intended target was actually a cartel member behind her. However, even though Isabel is safe, she remains in a catatonic state, paralyzed by the violence and grief she has survived through. Matt informs his troops that she is to be placed under witness protection. Isabel’s life has drastically changed, as she is left traumatized by the impaling torture she has undergone since her abduction. And after witnessing the death of Alejandro, the young girl will probably sleep with one eye open the rest of her life.
Why did Matt have a change of heart?
After watching his friend and colleague die, Matt’s life alters. Alejandro’s supposed death in ‘Sicario: Day of the Soldado’ effects Matt in two very different ways. He feels sorry that his long-time companion has been murdered, but at the same time, he feels relieved that he was not the one who killed him. Upon realizing that Alejandro placed Isabel’s life over his own, Matt feels compelled to ignore the killing order and save her life, in order to pay his respect towards his dearly deceased friend. He figures out that if Isabel is put in witness protection, she will be safe from both the Mexican cartel and other US assassins like him.
Image Source: AMC
What becomes of Miguel? Will there be a Sicario 3?
Alejandro ultimately comes in direct terms with the collateral damages that wars like these leave behind. He realizes that American imperialism has cost several innocent lives. Therefore he helps Isabel evade the cartel and the US government scrutiny. Although he does not completely finish with his redemption, but given that the CIA will place Isabel in witness protection, his plan did not fail completely. Alejandro will get away scot-free as well since now he will be pronounced dead by the government.
As ‘Sicario: Day of the Soldado’ ends, we see that Alejandro doesn’t forget Miguel, for he is the reason he’s alive and free. Despite being a prospect for a merciless Mexican cartel, Miguel posses a certain conscience. When Miguel was asked to shoot Alejandro dead, he shoots Alejandro in the cheek and spares his life due to his moral code.
A year down the road, we see Miguel living the life of a gang-banger, sporting numerous tattoos. As he ventures out to meet a fellow cartel member in a mall’s food court, he encounters Alejandro unexpectedly. Alejandro then offers to recruit Miguel and asks him if he wants to be a Sicario. This scene sets up the pace for a third installment of the Sicario franchise perfectly, hinting that Alejandro and Miguel may be joining forces as quasi-vigilantes.
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