An underrated, hard-hitting action thriller movie is on TV tonight

We’re still waiting on the follow-up to the film.

Sicario is the word for ‘hitman’ in Spanish while Soldado is the word for ‘soldier’. The follow-up is set a few years after the original and begins with a bombing by ISIS on American soil that kills 15 people.

In response, CIA officer Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) is given the green light by the US Secretary of Defence (Matthew Modine) to “shake the tree” and create chaos for the Mexican cartels, who are suspected of having smuggled the terrorists into the United States.

Reuniting with anti-cartel hitman Alejandro Gillick (Benicio Del Toro), the pair decide that the best way to do this is by instigating a war between the rival cartels.

As part of the plan, they kidnap Isabel (Isabela Merced), the daughter of a major drug kingpin – framing another cartel for the crime in a false flag operation.

The sequel saw filmmaker Stefano Sollima (Gomorrah, ZeroZeroZero) replace Denis Villeneuve in the director’s chair.

It received mixed to positive reviews, with many critics complaining about the absence of Emily Blunt’s protagonist from the original in the follow-up.

That said, we here at JOE are big fans of Soldado and wrote the following in a recent retrospective to mark its fifth anniversary:

“[Soldado delves] deeper into the shadowy world [screenwriter Taylor] Sheridan only scratched the surface of in Sicario, this time from the perspective of Alejandro and Matt – deeply flawed but tough-as-nails men who know it all so well.

“While the original mostly stayed set around the US-Mexico border, Soldado is much more globe-trotting. In its opening stretch, it also travels to Africa and South America in a bid to convey to viewers the interconnectivity of the crime world. The end result is fascinating with Sheridan and Sollima breathlessly highlighting how an oil pirate in Somalia, a Mexican criminal gang and an ISIS suicide bomber can be all linked together. On top of this, they also show through the subplot focusing on the teenager Miguel (Elijah Rodriguez) how easy it can be for a relatively normal young boy to be corrupted just through bad influences and the promises of wealth.”

In the retrospective, we also expressed our hope that the long-promised third Sicario flick – apparently titled Sicario: Capos – will eventually come to fruition.

Sicario: The Day of the Soldado is airing on TV tonight at 10:55pm on Film4. It is also available to rent on Apple TV, Google Play, Microsoft, Rakuten TV and the Sky Store.

Other movies on tonight are:

Apollo 11 - Sky Showcase - 6:10pm

Documentary made to mark the 50th anniversary of the moon landings, presenting the story of the iconic space mission through a newly discovered trove of 70mm archive footage and still photographs and drawing on thousands of hours of audio recordings. Featuring the personal accounts of the astronauts, the team in Mission Control, and the millions of spectators on the ground.

Just Go With It - Comedy Central - 9pm

A plastic surgeon pretends to be unhappily married to seduce women. When his girlfriend finds his prop wedding ring, he claims he is getting a divorce and has to persuade his assistant to pose as his soon-to-be ex-wife, but is forced to come up with yet more lies to maintain the illusion. Romantic comedy, starring Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston and Nicole Kidman.

The Inbetweeners Movie - E4 - 10pm

Awkward teenagers Simon, Will, Jay and Neil plan a holiday to the Greek island of Crete after they finish their exams, hoping to experience drink, sex and debauchery beyond their wildest dreams. However, things do not quite work out as planned. Comedy based on the TV series, with Joe Thomas, Simon Bird, James Buckley and Blake Harrison.

28 Days Later - BBC One NI - 10:30pm

A man wakes from a coma to discover Britain has been struck by a terrifying experimental virus that sends victims into a homicidal rage. With a handful of other survivors, he heads for Manchester, the last outpost unaffected by the outbreak - but realises the virus is not the only threat. Danny Boyle's horror, starring Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson and Christopher Eccleston