Sicario

Starring: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, Victor Garber, Jon Bernthal, Daniel Kaluuya, Jeffrey Donovan, Raoul Max Trujillo, Julio Cedillo, Hank Rogerson, Bernardo P. Saracino, Maximiliano Hernandez, Kevin Wiggins
Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Drama
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An FBI Agent (Emily Blunt) is recruited to join a governmental task force determined to disrupt a Mexican drug cartel. She soon discovers her team has a strong willingness to cross the line of legality, which doesn't sit right with her.

Review:

Tim: I am a huge fan of director Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners, and I enjoyed his polarizing but innovative Enemy. With Sicario, he's delivered another great movie and shot to the upper echelon of directors I'm excited about. This is a film about drug trafficking and it's told in a gritty, realistic manner. The film grabs hold of you from the very beginning and doesn't let up. It might not be as good as Prisoners, but this is still a great film.

The movie does a great job of helping us identify with the main character, Kate Macer. We see her involved in a bust early on, and then it's through her eyes that we follow the story as she (and we) get swept up in a governmental task force focused on wrecking havoc on a Mexican drug cartel. The structure of the story is exceptional, because we're exposed to this foreign world at the same time as our heroine, so we're on the journey together.

It certainly helps having an actress the caliber of Emily Blunt in the lead role. I love how she's remade her career in recent years. She's become the go-to actress for strong, action-packed roles. Now, some of that is Hollywood just being terrible (dozens of actresses could pull off those kind of roles). I do give Blunt great credit, because she's able to pull off these roles believably. Whether that's a hardcore soldier in Edge of Tomorrow or an FBI Agent in this film, you believe her in those roles. Blunt gives an incredibly strong performance that felt natural and realistic. She's quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses. Roles like this solidify the fact that she's one of the best in Hollywood.

Blunt has great help in the supporting cast. Josh Brolin is strong in a bit of a thankless role. He plays a mysterious, charismatic yet somewhat unlikable government agent. He plays the role exceptionally well- I absolutely believed him in the part. And yet, he doesn't have nearly enough to do. He's so good you wish he had much more screen time. I do have to highlight Benicio Del Toro, who gives the best performance of the film. I so often forget what an incredible actor he is. With a role like this, he hits a home run. He's interesting, realistic, and yet chilling. It's a truly exceptional performance and I think he deserved to be nominated for an Academy Award. When I forget much of this movie, his performance will remain in my memory. I loved seeing Jon Bernthal here. His role is very small, but he makes a lasting impact. Victor Garber was good as well. Really, the entire cast was all top notch.

Villeneuve does a great job of just telling a compelling, engrossing story. Sicario isn't a film that gives us things we've never seen before. It's a straightforward cops and cartels story. And yet, every scene pulls you into the film. It's a relentless, interesting, believable story that opens your eyes to the horrors of the war on drugs. It's enlightening and engaging from start to finish. It features very strong performances and throws more than a few surprises at the audience. Films can achieve greatness not for innovating something new, but just by executing an an extremely high level. That's what Villeneuve achieves here. This is an exceptionally well made movie. It's a film that tells a memorable story that makes an impact on the audience. The first sequence in Mexico is a great example- the early scenes are incredibly tense, even though relatively little is happening. Those scenes transport you to a dangerous, foreign place. I was on the edge of my seat. When the action finally comes, it's presented in a straightforward, believable manner. We don't need explosions to tell an exciting story. The film is grounded in realism and is significantly better for it.

Sicario is a great movie. It's one of the best movies I have seen in 2015 and I'm frankly surprised it didn't receive more year-end acclaim. I'm completely sold on director Denis Villeneuve and I can't wait to see what he does next.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Prisoners, Enemy, Edge of Tomorrow