The battles on both sides the U.S.-Mexico border have been brutal and unforgiving. The amount of casualties, mostly due to drug trafficking, have captured the imagination of filmmakers and showrunners everywhere. Acclaimed director Denis Villeneuve captured the essence of what goes on in this brutal landscape with 2015’s Sicario with both fans and critics coming away singing its praises while removing sweat from their brows as they caught their collective breath. Unknown at that time by most, but writer Taylor Sheridan was creating something that wouldn’t be fully told in one movie. This brings us to the here and now, and more to the point, Sicario: Day of the Soldado to take us deeper into this deadly world.

This story begins with attack on U.S. soil that causes the government, or at least certain factions of it, to find an effective response. An unconventional war calls for unconventional methodology along with doing whatever it takes. No one does it better than U.S. surgical weapon and blunt object extraordinaire, Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) and his Mexican cold and cruel counterpart, Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro). This time around, things won’t be so clear cut and harmonious between these friends. When their operation to stage infighting between rival drug cartels goes wrong, the pair find themselves on opposite sides of the border, but more importantly, on opposite sides period. Complications lead to carnage as well as a fiery confrontation in the end. Sicario: Day of the Soldado looks to further blur the lines between right and wrong, good and bad.

Starting with a couple of notable changes coming from the first movie into Sicario: Day of the Soldado. Gone is the idealistic FBI agent, Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) and so is award-winning director, Denis Villeneuve. With Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro reprising their lead roles, this newest addition is in good hands, especially with their all-star writer, Taylor Sheridan returning to hopefully pen more perfection. Brolin and Del Toro are the consummate acting professionals as you know them to be. When it comes to turning up the dial to get more out of these two, there’s no stopper. They just go up and up and up. Joining them are Jeffrey Donovan, Catherine Keener, Matthew Modine and the young but talented Isabela Moner.

The pace of Sicario: Day of the Soldado is slower than I would like, especially considering that there isn’t THAT much going on that was explained through a gripping story. If anything, it feels as though so key points were left on the cutting room floor. Director Stefano Sollima does not have a lot of feature length experience under his belt and unfortunately it shows. Certain parts of the film seemed to drag on for much longer than needed while other areas that should have been explored, received nothing more than a cursory glance at best. It’s basically like there was so much to choose from but for whatever unknown reasons, most of what should matter was not utilized to its potential. And I feel that comes under the director’s watch. His vision does not seem to line up smoothly with what this story is.

The slow burn of Sicario: Day of the Soldado won’t play well with audiences as the trailers will lead most to expect a lot more action than is given. Knowing that it’s a slower paced movie upfront could and should allow for a more enjoyable experience. It’s crystal clear that this story is just a stepping stone to a third movie. What made Sicario so good, in part, was that the story was a self contained one and the focus stayed on the path in which it was going.

This purposely leaves parts unexplored as the foundation is laid for a hopeful trilogy. This is a lesson of keeping your focus on what’s in front you before worrying about what’s not guaranteed in the future. While being a decent movie after a lot of self reflection and deliberation, if you have to TRY to find good in it, maybe it wasn’t good as it should have been. Pack your patience and don’t expect an outrageous guns-a-blazin’ action flick. It’s still recommend-worthy if you know what you’re getting ahead of time.