A young female FBI agent joins a secret CIA operation to take down a Mexican cartel boss, a job that ends up pushing her ethical and moral values to the limit.
I consider Denis Villeneuve to be one of the best directors working today, having produced films like Enemy, Prisoners and his recent sci-fi hit Arrival. His slow, methodical style is very distinctive, with painstaking build ups to important scenes, dolly shots that creep forward at a snail’s pace and beautiful cinematography which is always evocative of its setting. Sicario is another film to be given the meticulous Villeneuve treatment, and whilst I was very curious to see how he worked with a crime thriller like this, I had high hopes and trusted the film to deliver on my expectations.
Fortunately it did. Sicario is an incredibly well executed thriller that for once, genuinely thrills. Most noticeable in the various edge-of-your-seat moments of the film was the border shootout, which had somewhere around half an hour of build-up, and an explosive and tense payoff. The build-up and release of good tension is often scandalously excluded in blockbuster movies, so I am glad to see some of the great contemporary directors like Cuaron, Villeneuve and the Coens breathing life in to the thriller genre.
The lack of censorship on the grotesque and corrupt Mexican underworld was another great choice of the film, and added immensely to the already gritty and realistic atmosphere.
One of my larger gripes with the film is Emily Blunt’s character Kate who, whilst supported by a solid performance and writing, felt somewhat distanced. It was as if a veil was placed between her and the audience. However, after much deliberation, I still can’t place my finger on the cause of this, and have therefore put it down to personal bias of some kind. Some scenes or moments in the film also felt a bit awkwardly written in, which is odd for a screenwriter of Sheridan’s calibre. Take for example, the scene where Kate is shown up on to a roof to witness the violence in El Paso from afar. It served its purpose, had meaning and weight behind it, but felt awkwardly shoved in to the film, in a place it didn’t quite belong.
Whilst Josh Brolin delivers in his role as the laid-back commander, he pales in comparison to incredible performance of Benicio Del Toro, whose chilling authority and stone cold threat simply radiated from the screen. His weary and rough face tells a story with every word he utters, and every movement he makes. His character is also incredibly multi layered and deep, leaving you trying to decipher his motivations until the film’s very last scene.
Overall, Sicario is one of the most thrilling thrillers I’ve seen in a while. It delivers on every level, but some elements are weaker than others. Villeneuve expertly builds and releases tension, Sheridan weaves complex tapestries of characters with fascinating and layered dialogue, and Brolin and Del Toro give excellent performances in their respective roles. I can only pray the sequel delivers on a similar level.
