Sicario Review

After finally seeing getting a chance to catch Sicario, I've now realized just how many drug cartel related crime thrillers have slipped under my radar over the years. There's something about this genre specifically that never really captured my attention outside of AMC's Breaking Bad series... until now. Not only did Sicario officially open up my eyes to the potentially engrossing experiences that these types of films can produce, as a passionate film fan, I'm beginning to feel more compelled to seek out more releases with this particular type of narrative. Let it be known upfront that Sicario is not your traditional vibrantly colored action thriller where Mexico is showcased as a character on its own through several shots of its setting and culture before explosions and muzzle shots take over the screen. 

What we're offered here instead is a bleak and strong focus on characters engaging in life threatening and morality challenging situations. This is a film that relentlessly immerses you into the shoes of a protagonist going along a dangerous mission of questionable motives and actions taking place. So, with that said, let's see whether or not this joyride into "justice" was worth watching in its entirety at the end of the day. 

Just from the opening sequence alone where we witness a SWAT team busting through the wall of a house on a raid mission, I was immediately fully engaged with what was taking place onscreen simply from the amazing score and exceptional direction of the action itself. The foreboding sound of pounding drums leading the way as we get an interior shot of the team inside of the SWAT vehicle bracing themselves for the objective at hand was a fantastic way to introduce our protagonist as well as the dangerous lifestyle that she was a part of.

The sound of the vehicle speeding up as the camera slowly zooms out perfectly elevated the tension leading to the eventual crash through the wall sequence. There's actually an editing choice that takes place right around this scene I really admired which was the decision to eliminate the score once the vehicle entered the building and the raid takes place. The idea of having the music lead into the action only to come to an immediate stop until the action ended was brilliant as it forced my attention on the environmental sounds adding to that powerful immersion factor that I stated before. 

After nearly getting shot during the mission, we're fully introduced to our main character, FBI agent Kate Macer, standing outside with her partner trying to process the ferocious crime that's just been discovered. In a simple scene of her throwing up alongside other members of the team while uttering the words "That was something else" in response to her partner speaking about the lack of hostages, the film already plants the idea of her stepping into something that was completely outside of her comfort zone. I have to give a lot of credit to this opening sequence alone for perfectly setting up not only our character, but the overall tone of the film as well. From this point on, this is exactly what is to be expected consistently as far as characters, action, and the overall utilization of the score (beautifully composed by Jóhann Jóhannsson) goes.

What follows is an explosive and spine tingling scene where a hidden bomb is triggered resulting in heavy casualties including a couple of officers on the scene. What makes this scene so highly effective is the directional choice to show the moment through Macer's perspective as she's about to walk outside. You can see that sensibility carried throughout Sicario's powerful sense of gritty realism felt not only by the big action set pieces taking place but the smaller moments of characters simply doing their jobs leading into these bigger moments. There was never a section of the movie where I felt as though I was watching some big action blockbuster with star studded heroes fighting against obviously evil villains. Instead (and one of the reasons why I really admire this film), I felt as though I was witnessing a slice of life with someone working through the more darker and unforgiven side of law enforcement. 

Emily Blunt does a phenomenal job in the leading role as Kate Macer, flawlessly playing this character as someone who, although out for revenge to her own degree, is also keeping to the law as a means of honorable justice. Watching this character get pulled into a much more foreign and vicious landscape where the lines of righteousness begin to blur was such a fascinating and captivating journey to experience. Kate volunteers on a mission with a special operation division searching for the same people that was behind the bomb explosion which left her mentally scarred leading to this shaky descent of a heroic agenda.

This division is lead by Matt Graver (played by Josh Brolin) who has consistently won me over with every role that I've seen him in for the past few years. Brolin continues to add a powerful presence of authority and leadership yet with a nuanced comedic edge (even in a serious role like this). "Comedic edge" in this case refers to his very loose and confident demeanor always making a witty remark in even the most savage of scenarios. I quite enjoyed watching his performance as this shady mission advisor constantly keeping Macer and her partner in the dark during their missions. Throughout the film, we'd see him utilizing illegal methods to "get the job done" while basically dragging her along to exploit her position as opposed to needing her skill set. 

With his character being the authority figure over the grand objective, Macer's idealistic mentality is prominently displayed as she constantly asks him for the real reason behind her inclusion on the team keeping with the movie's heavy suspense. There's a pretty interesting dynamic between these two having what I would best describe as being a false mentor-student relationship. It's not often that I see this type of premise utilized in a film where our protagonist is simply being used as a tool throughout the majority of the story instead of a significant piece of the puzzle. You have this powerful theme that runs through the narrative showing the grey areas between right and wrong which the film does an exceptional job in expressing in a very visceral fashion.

However, the true spotlight of Sicario's ensemble is neither with Emily Blunt or Josh Brolin surprisingly but is instead carried by none other than Benicio del Toro's Alejandro. From the moment he enters into the picture, there was a sudden shift to a more mysterious and shadowy atmosphere to the story leading ahead. I simply cannot express enough just how much Benicio's performance completely stole the entire film as this missing link to a much bigger story that we simply weren't getting the full image of (stepping in line with Blunt's obliviousness). Alejandro is established throughout as the guy who you'd hate to make enemies with which is perfectly shown in different scenes where Graver would allow him freedom to brutally interrogate targets for guaranteed results. You can just feel this unrelenting sense of fear and tension surrounding every scene where he gets to act out without restraints during confrontations.

One of the more shocking parts of Sicario, aside from the share grittiness of the film's action segments, is the storytelling approach. There is a major shift in perspective as far as character journeys go as we see Alejandro taking the protagonist position towards the final act of the film. It's actually one of my favorite movie scenes that I've seen in quite a long time where we're getting to see more context to the character and why he seems to be outside of the law to some degree. In one very intense home infiltration segment, we learn Alejandro's motives as well as his position in everything that's been going on during a scene where Kate forcefully gets the answers that she demanded from Matt.

Just like I stated earlier about the opening sequence paving the way for the rest of the film's astounding direction, everything presented here from the use of the score, character set up, and tension driven action is beautifully executed in this one-man assault mission sequence. Witnessing Alejandro see through his mission to the end is quite the jaw dropping experience considering how it concludes. Benicio delivers an Oscar worthy performance from beginning to end playing this subdued and calculative man with nothing by rage boiling inside as shown from his facial expression. 

There's well as a brilliant scene on an airplane when his character is first introduced. Pay very close attention to the scene where Alejandro is sleeping on the plane and Kate is nervously watching him as his hands constantly twitch before he initially wakes up in full alert. The sound design in the scene begins to transition from the interior sounds of the plane's screeching engine to what can be perceived as disembodied screams which cuts right at the moment when he wakes up. It's a nice little detail subtly foreshadowing the later reveal of what's driving his actions at the end  of the day being a personal trauma-centered vendetta. It's also the only moment in the film where his character shows some form of genuine fear adding an extra layer of mystery and dimension through great visual storytelling.

Side Note: As a Burn Notice fan, it was great to see Jeffrey Donovan in something new and killing it

Director Denis Villeneuve (who also directed Enemy which was another amazing and fascinating character study) brings together one of the most beautiful looking thrillers in recent years. You can feel the talent pouring out of the screen with the actors all delivering amazing performances in their roles, but there is also the talent behind the cameras that makes their presence known as well. The visual style of Sicario is such an alluring and attractive treat for the eyes as this heavily bleak but beautiful color palette washes over the screen adding to the gritty and raw atmosphere of the story.

The choice of camera angles and perspectives are very carefully chosen as we frequently transition from up, close, and personal shots with characters engaging in tension heavy situations to more wider shots visually expressing the foreign and relentlessly overwhelming landscape. The cinematography of Sicario is simply breathtaking which is of course credited to the world renown brilliance of Roger Deakins (whose legendary work can be seen in countless of other stunning looking films). 

There is a beautiful marriage of great visual direction, score, and sound design cascading along an amazingly paced and well thought out character focused narrative. Never was there a dull moment to be seen here as Sicario constantly offers up a new reason for the audience to stay fully immersed whether it's through its shocking confrontation moments or adrenaline pumping action. With an ending that kept me speechless from the share level of tension as well as the unforgettably striking performances by both Emily Blunt and Benicio del Toro, I can safely say that Sicario is one of the greatest action crime-dramas in recent years fully encompassing what makes a filmgoing experience worthwhile.

Rating: 9/10