'Sicario' sequel is problematic but still undeniably potent

The politics of the Sicario films have always been murky -- on purpose. They seem to both recoil from and wholly endorse violent, vengeful reprisal for drug cartels while portraying a reasonable about of moral ambiguity about the means in which the brutality is executed.

But this new film lacks Emily Blunt's empathetic hero, which hurts it, although the strong and largely silent Benicio Del Toro is compelling as usual, and Josh Brolin has a lot of fun as a swaggering yet shadowy mercenary.

It goes without much saying that the film's uneasy macho bravado when it comes to fighting terrorism and drug traffickers might not go down so well in the Trump era.

And yet, despite its myriad of flaws, I found myself getting immersed in this world of flinty, grisly violence all over again.

It starts off a little slow, although the movie looks as good as the original and has the same throbbing, ominous score. Brolin, who is on a real hot streak right now, helps set up the plot which involves trying to start a turf war between Mexican cartels by kidnapping the daughter of one of the kingpins.

But the action really picks up once Del Toro's character Alejandro returns -- his every move and gesture oozes ruthless efficiency, and the filmmakers here (who lack Sicario director Denis Villeneuve's skills) don't do much to reinvent his character.

This is where, to some extent, you miss Blunt's more relatable lead -- there are times where this film alternates between bad ass shoot out and quiet reflection, without much substance in between. While the original film seemed to want to say something about the toll of the drug war, this film doesn't do as much to justify its existence.

And yet, when the action starts clicking, I couldn't look away -- and by the last act (which stretches believability but also works like gangbusters) I was leaning forward and ready for more. A third film is reportedly in development, and I am excited to see this series continue.

I totally understand why the morally reprehensible aspects of this series (like its fairly stereotypical portrayals of Muslims and Mexicans) are a dealbreaker. The Brolin character is repugnant on paper -- but like a lot of action movies -- if you check you brain and your politics at the door there is a lot to enjoy for people who like this sort of thing.

And as far as guilty pleasures go -- I am one of those people. I like the nihilistic vision of these movies -- the bluntness of them. At the climax of the film, Brolin says "fuck it all" in reference to their directives from Washington -- and while this is hardly a subtle or smart bit of dialogue, I found its uniquely American brutishness cathartic.

I don't know what it says about me (or audiences), that what started as something of a thinking person's action movie has turned into a shoot 'em up franchise -- but alas here we are.

I can't really defend this movie, but I also can't deny the fact that it really entertained me.