Review of Sicario (2015) by Kevin P — 06 Aug 2018

Strengths: Denis Villeneuve is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors in all of Hollywood. Movies like this are why. He does a fantastic job with tense scenes and this film is filled with those. From the scene in traffic to the invasion of the underground tunnel, this is one of the more intense action flicks in recent memory. The cinematography is fantastic. Benicio Del Toro (Alejandro Gillick) is outstanding. He doesn't have a ton of lines, but he commands the screen each time you see him. There's a chilling aspect to almost everything he does. Emily Blunt (Kate Mercer) is also great as the lead. She sells the combination of being terrified and still being tough, which is not easy to balance. Josh Brolin (Matt Garver) and Daniel Kaluuya (Reggie Wayne) were both also strong in their roles. There are some clever twists throughout that keep you on the edge of your seat.

Weaknesses: The plot is a straightforward one that doesn't stand out as something special. It's simple and to the point. Some moments paint Blunt's character as being more incompetent than she should be considering her position within the FBI. As good as her performance was, it never felt like she had much of an arc. She doesn't grow throughout, even with everything that happens to her. The ending leaves a bit to be desired.

Overall: There's nothing special about the story or the plot, but Denis Villeneuve did his some of his best work to turn it into a tense action thriller. The performances are mostly great, adding to what makes this movie work.