SICARIO (review)

SICARIO

Written by Taylor Sheridan / Directed by Denis Villeneuve / Starring Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin

Alejandro: Nothing will make sense to your American ears and you will doubt everything we do.

Denis Villeneuve may just be one of the most important Canadian directors working today. His talent behind the camera brought us both PRISONERS and ENEMY, and his latest film, SICARIO is another incredible accomplishment worthy of his unique vision. From the opening scene that pulls out all the stops with violence and twists, we know that we are in for something unexpected. And Villeneuve pulls it off wonderfully.

Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) is an FBI agent with a specialization in kidnapping cases who is enlisted by a government agent (Josh Brolin) for what seems to be a drug task force along the US-Mexico boarder. Working alongside mysterious agent Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro) in order to capture the head of a drug cartel, it soon becomes very clear when they enter into Mexico that she wasn’t told everything about the job she is meant to do. Kate soon finds herself in a web of government work she knew nothing about and those she thought she could trust may actually be far more dangerous than she had anticipated.

Emily Blunt’s performance as Kate mercer is incredible. As she moves from bold and strong to passive and obedient, she showcases her acting ability in a way unlike anything I’ve seen from her before. But the real star in SICARIO is Del Toro, who manages to instil a certain level of fear and unease into the audience as we watch him throughout his characters journey.

Cinematographer Roger Deakens (who previously worked with Villeneuve on PRISONERS and will collaborate again with their upcoming BLADE RUNNER film) has shot SICARIO beautifully and with interesting points of view. Sometimes we see things through technology like security cameras or night vision goggles and other times we see long shots of beautiful landscapes that still manages to conjure up suspense as we wait for the next twist or action to take place.

SICARIO is a thrilling action film that will leave you uncomfortable, squeamish, and excited for more.

Your turn!

How many sheep would you give Sicario?

[kkstarratings]