Sicario: Day of the Soldado is the next chapter in the dark and intense franchise with Sicario 2‘s ending providing big twists, interesting developments, and a setup for more. Following a domestic attack, the US government decrees the drug cartels as a terrorist threat. Josh Brolin’s Matt Graver and Benicio del Toro’s Alejandro Gillick kidnap the daughter of Carlos Reyes, leader of one of the cartels, intending to frame it as an act from a rival gang only for the plan to go awry, leading to Sicario 2‘s ending.

Like the first Sicario movie, Sicario 2 is a complex look at the war on drugs, its failings, and the ambiguity of the good and evil within it. While it is a tense and brutal thriller for most of the runtime, the ending sets up some more compelling questions while also throwing in moments that will likely catch the audience off guard. As a result, it might be beneficial to step back and examine the ending of Sicario 2 as a whole and all that it reveals.

Why Does Matt Save Isabela?

The Act Of Mercy Is Out Of Character For Josh Brolin’s CIA Operative

Josh Brolin returns for the Sicario sequel as the shady operative Matt. While he is once again shown to be a close ally of Alejandro’s, Matt is put in a difficult position leading to the Sicario 2 ending. When Alejandro activates his tracking beacon, he hopes rescue will come but instead puts himself and Isabela in danger as Matt has been tasked with cleaning up the mess, which includes eliminating both of them. Matt leads a task force to take out him and Isabela.

However, during his attempt to cross the border as a Mexican migrant, Alejandro is identified by a new smuggler he crossed paths with earlier. He attempts to talk his way out, but winds up being taken out into the desert where he’s sH๏τ in the head. For Matt, this is both a relief and a horror. He was struggling with the command to kill Alejandro given the pair’s close working relationship and the fact he was the one who called upon the sicario in the first place, so this frees him of the killing task.

However, it still sees his friend murdered, a loss which weighs heavily on him, to the point that when attacking the smugglers to reach Isabela, he takes her instead of killing her as instructed. It is the guilt of Alejandro’s death that moves Matt to spare Isabela’s life, an act that has shown to be quite out of character for the calculating CIA man.

Across both Sicario and Sicario 2, Matt has been personified by his willingness to do what is necessary, regardless of typical morality. The rules exist for the illusion of protection, but what he does exists beyond them. Indeed, he opens the movie saying he could pick off a suspect’s family one by one all day. Yet, on seeing that callousness applied by others so close to home, he’s forced to check himself. The final sH๏τ of Matt in the movie shows the conflict on his face, pondering if allowing Isabela to live is a righteous act or a huge mistake.

Isabela Is Saved But Still A Pawn In The War

Isabela’s Character In Sicario 2 Represents The Collateral Damage

Isabela Reyes goes through one of the most interesting journeys from the beginning to the end of Sicario 2. She starts off as a dangerous teenager, fighting classmates and successfully threatening teachers, but the moment the protection of her kingpin father is gone, she’s forced to fend for herself. She’s in danger from everyone, and in Alejandro, she begins to see the human cost of her life of privilege. The world she inhabits is unexpectedly fragile, especially with the US government involved, and so Isabela must look elsewhere for safety.

After saving Isabela at the end of Sicario 2, Matt says he’ll put her under witness protection. The act says more about his journey towards compᴀssion but also goes some way to summarize Isabela’s ultimate powerlessness, changing hands as a commodity no less than the immigrants the cartels trade-in. She is a character caught in the middle of the war on drugs, which would make for an interesting avenue to explore in Sicario 3.

Matt’s Tactics Fail In Sicario 2

The Brutal Approach To The War On Drugs Falls Apart

The first Sicario made a big point about the questionable legality of the nevertheless Washington-approved inter-agency mission, with Emily Blunt’s Kate Mercer in Sicario is only involved because the CIA needed an FBI agent. Sicario 2 comes at the story from another angle. With Kate absent and Matt the lead, it’s one of knowledge — and in doing so has less concern for the public face — until it comes crashing down.

In Day of the Soldado, how the US is trying to silently influence the cartel power balance is revealed to the public through the botched mission. The President loses confidence and everything crumbles. It’s the realization of what Kate threatened at the end of Sicario and highlights how fragile the brutish approach to international relations is the moment it’s outside hushed conversations in dark rooms.

The first Sicario movie showcased the moral grey area of this kind of approach to the issue. Sicario 2 shows what happens when the direct approach fails and there is political fallout. Should Denis Villeneuve return for Sicario 3, it would be interesting to see him explore the response to what tactic is used next.