Review of Sicario (2015) by Darkly_Tranquil — 05 Oct 2015

Sicario is a film of two parts. From a technical standpoint it is a beautifully shot, tightly directed, and cleverly acted crime/police thriller, and from a narrative standpoint, its a dark, grimey, depressing, and all too believable tale about the inevitable slide into "ends justify the means" tactics employed by agencies fighting the War on Drugs and the conflict between the need to uphold the law versus actually making a difference.

The film boasts strong performances from Emily Blunt as the out-of-her-depth FBI agent Kate Macer, Josh Brolin as the pragmatic and ruthless operative Matt Graver, and Benicio del Toro as the enigmatic and menacing Alejandro. Behind the camera, the direction from Denis Villeneuve and sublime cinematography by Roger Deakins present this grimey desperate world with skill and flair, while the film is backed by a dark brooding soundtrack that keeps the gloomy, threatening tone throughout.

This movie is definitely not for the faint hearted; its relentlessly violent and dark and offer little in the way of hope, but if you don't mind stepping into the shadows and getting a little dirty, this is a thriller not to miss.