An Islamic suicide bomber is caught crossing the Mexican American border. A Kansas City grocery store is attacked by multiple Islamic suicide bombers. Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) is in Somali interrogating a pirate in the investigation. The bombers are presumed to be Yemeni terrorists transported to Mexico by sea and smuggled in by the drug cartels. The cartels are declared terrorist organization. Graver is brought in to take them down. He recruits Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro) to kidnap cartel kingpin's daughter Isabel Reyes and laying the suspicion on a rival cartel. Meanwhile, American teenager Miguel Hernandez has joined the cartel to be a soldado.
This sequel has some of the kinetic energy of the original. It has Del Toro and Brolin returning. The suicide bomber crossing the border is questionable. It seems like a tougher step than necessary. There is a fleeting explanation of the Kansas City bombing which leaves the crossing even more questionable. Instead something less blow-em up and reasonable, the movie wants to start with a bang. Same thing happens with the hand-off to the Mexican police. I don't understand why they would try to ambush them. It would be easier to trick them into transferring Isabel to them. The shootout can happen when something goes wrong with the exchange. There are things happening that don't quite seem right although much of it can be attributed to the randomness of a chaotic situation. Overall, there is a kinetic thrill to diving back into this world. The actors are compelling. It may not be a necessary sequel but it's a worthwhile sequel.
This sequel has some of the kinetic energy of the original. It has Del Toro and Brolin returning. The suicide bomber crossing the border is questionable. It seems like a tougher step than necessary. There is a fleeting explanation of the Kansas City bombing which leaves the crossing even more questionable. Instead something less blow-em up and reasonable, the movie wants to start with a bang. Same thing happens with the hand-off to the Mexican police. I don't understand why they would try to ambush them. It would be easier to trick them into transferring Isabel to them. The shootout can happen when something goes wrong with the exchange. There are things happening that don't quite seem right although much of it can be attributed to the randomness of a chaotic situation. Overall, there is a kinetic thrill to diving back into this world. The actors are compelling. It may not be a necessary sequel but it's a worthwhile sequel.