We saw a trailer for this film early in the year and it looked good and whilst we try to ignore reviews, the poster is covered with plaudits so on its release we knew we should go with our initial instincts and be seeing this one.
Wow! This is a film we will bark to all to see, from Denis Villeneuve who recently directed the also very good 2013 film ‘Prisoners’ starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gylennhaal from a fantastic script incredibly by first timer Taylor Sheridan (best known for his starring role in Sons of Anarchy)
The film has an explosive start and does not let up! Emily Blunt plays Kate Macer an FBI agent who is asked to join a government task force run by Matt Graver (played by Josh Brolin) trying to stop the war on drugs at the border of the US and Mexico.
Kate accepts this new role as she believes it will get her to close down the drug cartel that was responsible for the scenes that open the movie and she is helped by the mysterious Alejandro (played by Benico Del Toro) a hit man or as he is known a Sicario (Sicario means hitman we learn from the opening titles)
The film follows various attempts of the team led by Matt to crack down on the drug smuggling, with each sequence as intense as the last one all showing what a dark business drug dealing is.
Roger Deakin as director of photography needs extra credit for the vision he has put on screen and the score by Johann Johannsson is superb really adding to the already high tension!
The cast, in addition are superb, Emily is getting lots of plaudits for her portrayal of Kate, but for us Benico Del Toro is the stand out as the intense Alejandro who is running by his own rules to close down the drug cartel for reasons we learn towards the end of the movie and is willing to bend the rules to do it even if this goes against everything Kate believes in as an officer of the law.
Having revealed the reason for recruiting Kate to the team, she is powerless to prevent the films climate confrontation between Alejandro and the leader of the Drug Cartel, having lost him during a sequence in tunnels using thermal image cameras whilst on a drug bust at the border.
The film, as if it needed any, gets bonus points from Pepper, as during a routine questioning at the border, one of the Mexicans reveals he was from Chihuahua =)
This really is one of the years must see films, it’s director is next working on the sequel to Blade Runner and on the basis of this film, it leaves us with high hopes.
Have you seen Sicario? Did you like it, who was your favourite of the cast? We’d love to hear from you at the BMAF
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