Review of Sicario (2015) by Isadore H — 27 Mar 2016

Thought-provoking, sharp and violent, Sicario is a brutal action-thriler and gut-wrenching depiction of the narco-wars of which we have only heard. Slowly paced, but with a suspense that is meticulously built up, this is not the usual American story of fighting narco-cartels. It is a polarizing and realistic take on the "not winning" the war on drugs, which beautifully wrapped in amazing cinematography, delightful directing and Oscar-worthy performances. Undeservedly snubbed for the Oscars, Sicario deserved much more attention than its three technical nominations.

An exemplary FBI special agent Kate Macy ( Emily Blunt) is enlisted to a secret government anti-drugs task force led by Josh Brolin and consulted by the enigmatic Benicio Del Toro. The squad fights the drugs war in a totally different and unorthodox way that challenged Macy's understanding of rule of law, rules of engagement, ethics and moral. Every single day as part of this team she faces new things that will question everything she (and the audience) believes in.

The story is being developed and revealed slowly and quite untypically for action-thrillers. The first half sets the overall atmosphere and the different environment in which Emily Blunt has to survive, while the second part unleashes the inconvenient truth about winning the war on the drugs. Denis Villeneuve's movie is complex, restrained and yet shocking. He allows his actors to fully get under the skin of their characters and Blunt, Brolin and Del Toro deliver what is expected from them. The performance of Del Toro is particularly impressive as the mysterious Alejandro. His mesmerizing presence, self-control and almost inhuman cool-blooded desire for personal revenge will make you think about his character long after the movie has ended.

If the content and acting are at Oscar-worthy level, the same should be said for the technical part of the movie. The cinematography of Roger Deakins is hypnotizing; it is almost as if the whole movie is worth seeing only for the sunset scene of the squad. Sound edit, music and fighting sequences are as realistic as the story's end and fully contribute to the brilliant final result.

In conclusion, there can be no doubt that Sicario is another splendid gem and a classic delivered by Denis Villeneuve. With another thought-provoking and attention-gripping movie after his Incendies, Prisoners and Enemy, he is definitely one of the directors to closely monitor, especially having in mind that he is directing the re-boot of Blade Runner. Sicario is a must see and a must have movie. It is simply one of the best releases of 2015 and certainly in the top 3 of best ever narco-cartels/war on drugs movies.